Trusting Lies
by Poofgoesyourface
Summary: Garion and co. get delayed in the search for his son, and what starts as an innocent plot quickly turns out to be something not as harmless as they thought... Main characters: Silk, Liselle... set sometime in the Malloreon
1. Chapter 1

**So... this is my first Eddings fic... drop a review if you've got anything to say...**

**Disclaimer: If I owned it, it wouldn't be on fanfiction**

**Spoilers: The Mallorean**

**Setting: I'm not sure exactly when in the Mallorean this is set... but it's sometime before Zakath joins them...**

**Chapter 1**

King Belgarion of Riva did not particularly care for Angarak bars; he found them distasteful. They weren't loud and boisterous like the ones he was used to, and the beer was horrible. Belgarath had quickly found the best one in town, but he and Beldin were out reconnoitering.

It was on their orders that Garion and the others found themselves in the shadowy Angarak bar nursing dirty cups of bitter tasting beer. Polgara and Durnik sat across from him, both casting disapproving glances around the place while Eriond and Toth sat next to them awkwardly, Toth trying his best to appear as small as possible. On his left sat Ce'Nedra, with a look that clearly said she did not appreciate having to sit in a dirty Angarak bar. On his other side was Silk, who watched two haggling Nadraks with a hungry expression, and Velvet, who glowered at Silk. Sadi sat a little ways apart from them, feeding Zith, occasionally earning uneasy looks from Silk.

The dark interior was lit only by dim, greasy smelling tallow candles and smoldering ashes in the fire place that left a smoky haze over the half-drunk Angaraks. This murky atmosphere was accentuated, yet broken somewhat when a Nadrak woman strutted out and began dancing in front of the fireplace. She wore only a sheer black veil and a thin rope tied around her waist that held a pouch in which the appreciative guests placed their tips. Although she moved sensuously to the beat supplied by two Murgo men, her eyes were hawk like and five knives were clearly visible through her revealing garment.

Her hips swayed in slow circles, and her hand traveled suggestively up the side of her thigh, between her breasts to rest on the black collar at her throat. Her other hand had raised above her head, the dim light of the embers caressing her supple arms, and her fingers moved in delicate swirls and flicks, never the same but always inviting. She slowly moved her right hand from her collar to join her left in the air and turned, lifting a leg slightly and letting the veil fall away. Garion followed her movements, mind traveling to thoughts that made him blush.

He felt a sharp nudge at his side and looked down at Ce'Nedra guiltily. "Sorry, dear," He whispered.

She glared at him, and he sighed, noticing that Polgara had left with Eriond and Durnik and Toth were staring carefully into their mugs. Velvet was looking meaningfully at Ce'Nedra, and jerked her head towards the door, but Ce'Nedra shook her head, glancing at Garion as if he was a little boy who needed supervision. Sadi didn't even seem to notice the dancer, for he was busy trying to coax Zith back into her bottle. Silk however, was following the woman's movements carefully with an odd expression on his face.

Garion followed the little man's gaze, ignoring Ce'Nedra's protest. The woman had been moving about the tables, and the Angaraks hooted and called, and as she grew near, they leaned in and deposited gold in the sack at her waist, many of them drooling shamelessly and drunk. She paused at one table, her hands constantly moving. The man she stopped at whispered something and reached into his pocket, dropping several heavy gold coins into her purse and reaching out to touch her bare thigh. Her hand was at a knife in less than a second, and he jerked his fingers away as she glared at him.

She continued her path around the tables, and for a moment, her eyes locked on someone behind Garion. Garion turned to look, and saw Silk watching her with an unreadable expression as she approached. Feeling Ce'Nedra's piercing gaze on him, he looked away as the Nadrak woman paused in front of Silk.

The Angarak woman said something in a low voice, still moving her hips in slow circles, taunting Garion's friend. Garion glanced back to see Silk looking at the Nadrak with an emotion that Garion couldn't place. "I see," Silk said, not bothering to lower his voice.

The Murgo woman glared at him and muttered something else.

Silk considered her for a moment. "Oh, no. I don't think so," Silk replied.

Her expression grew hard and she twirled away from him without waiting for him to tip. Garion looked at Silk questioningly, but the man shook his head slightly, not returning his gaze.

That familiar feeling of foreboding tugging at his mind, Garion turned back to watch the dancer. She had paused in front of the first man again, and was receiving another handful of golden coins. When the man drew away, she smiled and ended her dance with the challenging strut of the Angarak woman, turning to leave. As she left, however, she glanced over her shoulder at Garion's table again.

"Wha—" Garion started, looking at Silk questioningly along with all his other companions.

Silk shook his head subtly again and put down his tankard, which he'd just taken a swig from. "Shall we go?" He inquired in a loud, drunk sounding voice.

Garion stared at his friend, almost forgetting to respond. He knew Silk was faking being drunk, but the purpose of his caution escaped him. Silk did not lead them to the staircase, however, which led to their rooms, but left by the front door. "Silk?" Sadi tried, handing Zith to Velvet finally when the little snake refused to return to its bottle.

"That man was certainly tipping a lot," Durnik observed as Silk led them away from the bar at a brisk pace.

"It was no tip," Silk replied, not ceasing his stride. "That was a bribe."

Ce'Nedra stopped in her tracks. "A bribe? You mean he was paying her to sleep with him? How horrid."

"There are a lot of horrid people, then." Silk said in reply. "But no, it wasn't that kind of bribe."

He turned into an alleyway and stopped. "This is fine," He said, looking around. "Garion, can you contact your grandfather? We've got a bit of a situation." He looked mad, Garion decided, though he had no idea why.

Garion nodded silently, realizing it was probably better he do what he was told. _Grandfather! I need you._

_Why does everybody shout when they talk like this?_ Belgarath's irritated voice came back. _I'm sure _I _don't talk that loud_.

_Just come back_, Garion said. _Silk's pretty agitated._

_Agitated? The man is capable of agitation? Wow. I never would have known. _Belgarath said. _We'll be there in a second, don't go anywhere._

"What kind of situation?" Velvet was asking.

Silk looked at her, surprised. "You mean you didn't see it? I admit it wasn't that obvious to me at first but…"

"No, sorry to disappoint you, Kheldar, but unlike _you_, I don't enjoy watching Angarak ladies dance." She replied acidly. "Out with it, I want to know what happened."

Silk winced and looked back at Garion. "Did you find him?"

Garion nodded. "Do you want me to get Aunt Pol also?"

Silk considered it for a moment. "No," He replied finally. "I just realized that one of them might be a sorcerer or sorceress, and it's probably not wise to alert them to our position."

"Kheldar!" Velvet demanded. "Care to share with us?"

"Okay, okay, okay." Silk said, annoyed. "I'm still surprised you didn't get it."

"Enough!"

"Alright! Well, you know how she was waving her hands around?" Silk asked. "Well, she was speaking the secret language."

Velvet looked at him, astonished. "The Drasnian one?"

"The very same," Silk replied. "Anyways, it gets better. She's a bear-cultist."

"She's a _what_?" Exclaimed Garion, Durnik and Velvet.

"H-how do you know?" Garion spluttered.

"Well, I don't." Silk admitted. "But she _does_ have that tattoo."

Garion stared at his friend. "I thought they tattooed them on the foot. I didn't see anything."

"It wasn't in a place that you respectable people would look." Silk replied smoothly.

"Then she's not a real cultist!" Durnik said.

"Maybe not, but it does prove she's involved somehow in _something_ bad." Silk answered.

"Where was it?" Velvet asked, narrowing her eyes. "Where was her tattoo?"

Silk looked her straight in the face. "On her inner thigh."

Velvet stared at him with an unreadable expression. "Never mind," she said after a moment. "What was she saying, I didn't notice, and who was she saying it to? You?"

"No, not me," Silk said. "The man who kept giving her tips? He was Drasnian."

This pronunciation was met with stares. "How does _that_ happen?" Durnik inquired.

"Well it explains how she knew the secret language. I didn't get a good view of the guy's face, but I'm pretty sure I've seen him somewhere. Maybe he went to the academy with me…" Silk trailed off.

Velvet looked at him sharply. "You knew him?"

Silk shrugged. "I don't know," he answered. "I'd like to find out who he is though. He's going to be in big trouble if Javelin catches up with him."

"Just like you?"

Silk smirked at her. "I'm not a traitor to Drasnia."

At that moment, a blue hawk landed in their midst, blurring into the hunchbacked form of Beldin. "What do you want?" He asked rudely, scowling at Silk.

Silk was about to respond but was interrupted as a falcon landed clumsily on a barrel and changed into Belgarath, who wore a similar expression. "What is it?"

Silk quickly explained the Angarak's dance and her drasnian tipper. "I only caught on that they were speaking about halfway through their conversation, but I did glean enough to sketch a rough idea of their plot."

"Does it have anything to do with us?" Beldin asked, scratching at his beard.

"It sounded like it." Silk answered. "They were both bear cultists, as far as I could tell. I'm not sure if the drasnian was, but he seemed like it. He referred to 'Aloria' a couple of times. Anyways, the two of them seemed to be involved in some scheme or another, along with a couple grolims, if I read their conversation correctly."

"We don't doubt you, Silk, go on," said Belgarath impatiently.

"It seemed to me like they were being used by Zandramas because their goal was to delay us." Silk continued. "Unfortunately, both of them saw us in there, so now they know where we are so we might expect trouble from them."

"What kind of trouble?"

"They didn't say."

"What was he bribing her for?" Sadi asked.

Silk frowned. "It sounded like he wanted her to keep quiet about something. She kept threatening to tell someone something. She called it his 'little secret'."

"Who was she threatening to tell?" Beldin asked.

"I'm not quite sure. I had a strong suspicion it might be Zandramas, but they kept calling him 'the master', and Zandramas is female…" He trailed off.

"They might not be working for Zandramas, you know." Belgarath pointed out. "In fact, it makes more sense that it _isn't_ Zandramas. I don't think she'd give an order for us to be delayed because we're going to a place she can't go and she needs the same information we do."

Silk nodded. "I thought of that too, but they mentioned her by name, and it was clear they were working for her. I just want to know who 'the master' is."

Ce'Nedra ducked out from under Garion's arm suddenly. "Do they know where my baby is?" She asked, a desperate note in her voice.

Silk looked down at her. "I don't know," he said. "Ce'Nedra, there's not much you can do about it right now. Geran would be wherever Zandramas is, and we already know we can't catch up with her."

Ce'Nedra looked on the verge of tears, and she turned back to Garion, who put his arms around her comfortingly. "What was she saying to you?" Garion asked Silk, who looked slightly guilty that he had been so forward with Ce'Nedra.

Silk shrugged. "Nothing that important," he said vaguely. "She just noticed I was following their conversation and came to have a word with me about it."

"Have a word?" Garion raised his eyebrows. "She was threatening you?"

"I suppose you could call it that. I'm not much threatened though."

Garion looked at his friend closely. Silk was a good liar, but Garion had come to know when his companions were lying. He let it slide, though, knowing that Silk knew when it was necessary to tell the truth.

"Is it possible that the drasnian is one of Javelin's agents?" Velvet asked.

Silk shook his head. "I don't think so. This is a small town, and it definitely didn't sound like the guy was doing anything remotely good."

"Its not _supposed_ to sound that way," Velvet pointed out.

"No," Silk said. "But would Javelin trust a bear-cultist?"

Belgarath stepped in before Velvet could reply. "Right now, I'm not much concerned what Javelin is up to, but I would like to know who 'the master' is and what this drasnian fellow is doing involved with Angaraks and grolims."

"I'll snoop around a bit," Silk volunteered.

Belgarath nodded. "Okay, you do that, but don't get into any trouble."

"Would I do that?"

Belgarath scowled at him. "Where's Pol?" He asked as if he just realized she was missing.

"She and Eriond left when the lady started dancing." Garion replied.

"Ah. Well, we'll have to catch up with her then. Silk, is there anything else we ought to know?" Belgarath turned to the spy.

Silk shrugged. "That's about it. I just thought I'd warn you that there might be some grolims after us."

"There's always grolims after us."

"Yes, that's true. Tiresome little buggers, aren't they?" Silk added lightly. "I would suggest finding a different lodging place for tonight though. There's no point in making it easier for them to track us down, and they know where we are now."

Belgarath nodded. "That's a good idea. I'll have Beldin come find you when we've moved."

Beldin glared at his brother. "I don't run errands for you."

Silk grinned. "That won't be necessary. I can find you when I'm done."

Belgarath gave Silk a long look. "You make me nervous."

"I try," Silk replied. "If you don't need me anymore, I think I'll go catch up with our Angarak wonder lady."

Belgarath nodded, and Silk waved goodbye before slipping into another alley noiselessly.

**Thanks for reading! I'll update soon! Oh, and readers, don't get used to the legnth of this chappie... most of mine are about.. half this size... :) Reviews are definitely welcome!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay, so I guess you could say this I posted this to celebrate finishing my homework for tonight... sort of... Thank you to all my readers of chapter one, and my reviewer... **

**Chapter 2**

He'd made sure to watch carefully where the Angarak had gone when she left, and was glad he'd done so, for now he had a good idea of which direction she'd left in. She hadn't gone up to the rooms, for he saw her turn away from the stairs as the door closed and the only other way you could go was out the back door, so he retraced her footsteps out the back door and paused in the alley behind the tavern.

The ground was littered with rubbish which created an awful stink that Silk found distasteful. The walls of the alley had a damp slime on them, and the ground was mired in muddied water. He sighed and glanced around. It wasn't hard to pick up her trail from here, seeing as there was only one way for her to go, so he headed down the alleyway, stepping delicately over the rats that scuttled beneath him, hissing as he passed.

The alley came out into a dark backstreet, with dingy looking houses lining its sides. It was quite late, so the street itself was devoid of people, but Silk kept to the shadows, his instincts warning him of people watching through windows. All the houses looked the same in this light: dreary and rundown, and only some were lit by dim candles. The light, perhaps sufficient for the inhabitants, did not pass the windows or pour into the street below, but seemed dull and unfriendly.

As a rookie, Silk remembered being frustrated when he came across neighborhoods like these, for the houses were impossible to tell apart. Silk smiled wryly to himself, that same frustration hovering at the sides of his consciousness, but he ignored it. He knew what to look for, and stopped in the shadows beneath each window, sparing one glance for the room beyond.

However, his job was made easier when his sharp ears picked up the sound of voices in the house to his right. The door opened and a man let himself out cautiously, glancing around in the same manner that Silk was so used to doing. Silk smiled to himself. It was the drasnian man he'd seen at the bar. He could not see the man's face, but there was only one race of people in the world who looked around like that. For a moment, Silk considered following the drasnian, but courtesy stopped him. He would look in on the Angarak lady first and catch up with the drasnian if need be.

Silk crouched at the steps, waiting until the drasnian was out of sight and making a note of which way he went. He heard running water inside, and after a moment of listening, determined that the Angarak lady was taking a bath, so he picked the lock on the door and eased it open, closing it silently behind him. The door to what Silk presumed to be the bathroom was closed, but Silk was not interested in the lady's bath.

He slipped into her bedroom and proceeded to make a routine search of her desk and drawers. With some frustration, he realized that he was going to find nothing worthwhile. The sudden sound of a bathtub draining alerted him to the fact that the Angarak lady was about to come out and find him searching through her stuff. He cursed himself silently; he hadn't been this clumsy in years. With no other alternative, he slipped into her closet, pulling the door closed behind him but leaving it cracked so that he could see her.

She was drying her hair with a towel as she walked in, and he noticed that even now, she had her knives strapped to her body. Pausing in front of the mirror, she put down the towel and ran a hand through her wet hair. "Okay, Khelvor, I know you're there. Come out." She said, turning around to face the room.

Silk stepped out of her closet holding a robe. "So that's his name?" He said, tossing her the robe.

She glared at him suspiciously, her hand on a knife. "I presume we can be civilized about this?"

Silk smirked. "We're just talking. Put the robe on." He said, looking away for her modesty.

She laughed. "Should I be ashamed of my body?"

Silk looked back at her. She'd made no move to shrug on the robe. "Tell me about Khelvor," he said.

She laughed again. "You're funny, mister. You'll pay me, right?"

He shrugged. "If I must."

She grinned. "I like you," she said, moving to her closet which he'd just left and pulling on a black dress. "Do you know Khelvor?" She asked.

"I was aware that I was the one asking the questions."

She turned to look at him. "Please, I thought we were talking."

He scowled. "Khelvor is a common name."

"So you _did_ know Khelvor."

His scowl deepened. "I knew someone _named_ Khelvor."

She sighed. "You drasnians are all the same, you know that?"

"It's good for the business." There was no point in trying to deceive her.

She grinned. "Well I'm sorry, but you aren't going to get any answers out of me without payment."

"I see." He said, dropping the scowl and examining a fingernail. "Well, I can always get them in a different way,"

"Do that,"

He sighed and turned to leave. "Wait!" said the Angarak dancer. He smiled but did not turn.

"Goodbye, Miss."

She grabbed his arm, and he instinctively reached for a knife. Her hand jerked away and he turned to grin at her. "Wait?"

For a moment, her face betrayed emotion, and he saw fear in her eyes, but a second later, it was gone, replaced by a slightly angered expression. "Let me explain something to you, Kheldar."

This surprised him, for although his name meant little to him because of his abundance of personalities, it was little known among most common people.

"Yes, I know your real name," She said. "Perhaps you should watch your _friends_ closer."

He stared at her, horrified. "What?" He whispered, thoughts racing from one companion to another. His mind was suddenly blank, as if this lady had invaded his thoughts and turned off the rational world. None of his companions were traitors, were they? They couldn't be! The prophecy wouldn't choose someone who would harm the Child of Light, would it?

She smirked, all traces of anger and fear gone. "As I recall, I was explaining something."

Silk stared at her, mind still racing, and suddenly wary of this mysterious Nadrak. She had paused, almost as if waiting for him to listen to her, so with some effort, he muted his clamoring thoughts. "I enjoy toying with men and their hearts." She continued. "It's something to amuse me, and whatever you think, I'm not involved in Khelvor's little scheme. I detest grolims, to be sure. You see, I can be quite persuasive, and even the most experienced spy will pour out his life's secrets for me." She smiled, as if savoring a sick memory. "Most men make the mistake of trusting me, and I enjoy seeing them wallow in the woes their blunder provided for them." She moved closer to him, and Silk took a faltering step backwards. "Khelvor was no different. The Master will be happy to learn of his traitorous thoughts. However, perhaps The Master won't hear. You see, I've found another player in my little game." She stepped forward again, and this time Silk didn't step back. His mind was frozen, and his body seemed numb as she wrapped her hands around him, letting them slide down his back. "Like it or not, you _will_ become the new player in my game." She whispered.

He pulled away angrily, glaring at her infuriatingly knowing smile. "Goodbye then, Kheldar." She said.

It took a long time to register what she'd said, and words wouldn't form on his tongue. Greatly disturbed, he left hurriedly, welcoming the cool night air and slumping against the side of the house, mind racing painfully.

**Reviews? Just to let you people know, I've finished this fanfic already, its 42 pages on the computer, but I'm not going to post until I get feedback so I can improve it for you! Thank you for reading, I'll put the next one up sometime soon... depending on how many helpful comments I get :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**So I figured I'd post chappie three... Thank you soo much to all my readers and reviewers!**

**Chapter 3**

She followed him; not because she didn't trust him or because Belgarath told her too, but because she was curious. She hadn't seen Silk in action very much and was curious to see how he would take on such a task. Even though she was Hunter, Silk was more experienced than her, and she knew there was probably something she could learn from him.

He approached most of it like she would have and did not once look back to see if he was being followed. She _was_ Hunter after all. When he entered the Angarak woman's house, Liselle paused for a moment, debating what she should do. She was fairly certain that if she stayed to watch Silk and the lady talk, Silk would realize she was there, and it made more sense for her to follow the other Drasnian anyways. Making up her mind, she kept to the shadows behind the Drasnian who'd just left the Angarak's house.

The Drasnian simply retraced his steps back to the tavern, and at the back door of the bar, Liselle was once again faced with the decision of whether or not to follow him. If he was like any other Drasnian, he would be able to recognize her now that he knew whose party she was with. After a moment's hesitation, she followed him up the stairs and acted as if she was making for the room that Belgarath had reserved for them. When the Drasnian had slipped into his room, she doubled back and listened at the door long enough to determine that he was going to come out again.

She waited in the shadows at the foot of the stair until he came down and after he'd entered the common room, she made her way up the stairs again and picked his lock, letting herself in.

His room was neat and orderly, and she smiled to herself, for this would just make it easier to search. To her consternation, however, after half an hour or so, there had still been nothing of importance that caught her eye. Sighing, she replaced everything as she found it and made her way back to the house she'd left Silk at.

He was still inside, and she wondered briefly what he could be doing, but at that moment, the door opened and he hurried out. From across the street, Liselle watched him return to the shadows and slide down the wall of the house and put his head in his hands.

Worried, she crossed the street to where he lay and knelt by him. "Kheldar?" She whispered. Was he hurt?

He flinched and took his hands away from his face to look at her. "Were you following me?" He asked, his voice strangely hoarse.

A sudden suspicion tugged at her mind. "What were you doing in there for such a long time?"

He winced and turned away. "Nothing like that," he said. "Let's go, and answer my question. Were you following me?"

She helped him up, nodding.

His voice had returned to normal, but she thought he looked a little pale. "You're very good at it, you know. I didn't think anyone was on my tail."

"You had your mind on other things," she said modestly. "What did you find out?"

He winced again, and his face turned considerably paler. "I don't know if I want to talk about it."

She put a hand on his arm concernedly. "What happened? This isn't like you."

"No, its not." He said. "I don't want to have to explain it more than once. Wait until we get back with the others."

She nodded. "Do you want to look in on Khelvor?"

"Khelvor?" He asked, surprised. "How do you know?"

She grinned. "I checked up on him while you were with that lady. Did you find out her name?"

He frowned at her. "Now that you mention it, I didn't. Belar! I'm getting bad at this, aren't I?"

Liselle looked at him closely. What could have happened to make Prince Kheldar, known by friends to be smooth as silk, to forget something so fundamental?

**Reviews? Please?**


	4. Chapter 4

**So... here I am updating... erm... I guess I could say some stuff about this chapter... hrm... well, theres a rated G bedroom scene in here... at least I think it's rated G, but yeah, um... a lot of it is character and relationship building, so yeah... I went through and edited it just now, so I hope most of the mistakes are gone, but I can't gaurantee that... Well, Enjoy!**

**Eos Erigeneia: I already responded to your review, but I forgot to thank you for adding me to your C2, so... Thanks! Oh, and yeah, sorry, I lied, I didn't update that day... but here I am updating! **

**Francisca Wachler: Thanks for your review! and here's that next chapter you were hoping for... I've got the whole thing finished already, I'm just spreading out the updates so that you readers get the full benefits of the cliffhangers to come... muahahahahahaha**

**Dark-Hearted-Rose: I replied to yours also, but i figured I'd acknowledge you in here... I still need to read chappie four of Devotion... :) But I will! Don't worry! and I'll review, and then you'll have to review me back! ahahahahahha**

**Chapter 4**

Garion paced the floor impatiently. Their new lodging was less than desirable, but it would have to do. "Garion! This inn is going to have to deal with a hole in their floor pretty soon if you don't stop your pacing!" Ce'Nedra called from the bed.

Garion glanced back at her once and returned to his pacing. "I don't even know why I'm so… uneasy. I mean, there's really no reason, is there?"

"No, there isn't, now come to bed. We can talk to Silk in the morning."

Garion ignored her. "He just makes me nervous when he does things like that. Sure, it was right of him to warn us… but… Belar! Why am I so jumpy!?"

"Good question. I think I can answer it for you. Come here." She commanded.

He acquiesced and slipped out of his shirt, lying down beside her. "I don't want to have to deal with more trouble. I just want Geran back."

Ce'Nedra nodded. "I understand," she muttered, snuggling close to him and walking her fingers up his back to his shoulders.

"It seems like the whole world is after us, Ce'Nedra," he mumbled, throwing a pillow over his head.

"The whole world _is_ after us… half of it anyway," she whispered in his ear. "We can't do very much about it right now, though," she said, her hands kneading his shoulders.

"You sound like Silk," Garion said crossly.

"Oh, come on, Garion. Relax." She pulled the covers over them and Garion turned over to face her, putting his hands around her waist.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled. "It's just…"

She put two fingers on his lips, and his words died in his mouth. "No talking, Garion."

He looked deep into her hazel eyes and drew her to him, feeling her silky locks against his bare skin. Her skin seemed to shine in the pale moonlight, and a sudden overwhelming hunger came over him. "It's been a while, hasn't it?" He whispered, his breath hitching as he eased himself closer to her.

"I said 'no talking'," she breathed, and a moment later, he felt her lips on his.

A tingle of pleasure went down his spine, and he returned her kiss passionately, letting his hands slither down her shoulders to rest on her lower back. She responded to him subtly, arching her back, and he felt her fingers undoing the buttons of his trousers. The blanket had slipped off the bed, and they lay, entwined, moving as if they were not two bodies, but one. A pleasant buzz had overcome his mind, and he felt his lips moving away from her lips and down her neck to where her chest heaved with each quick breath.

After a while, he ceased to pay attention to details, and gave his mind and body up to her and the heat of their passion. He had no idea how long they'd been caught in the throes of lovemaking, but his mind was blissfully blank and raced with the adrenaline of primitive pleasure.

"_Garion!"_

He jerked away from her and rolled to one side of the bed, heart pounding. She watched him, startled and hurt. "_GRANDFATHER!"_ He thundered, horrible anger at being interrupted all thrust into that one thought.

"_Damn, Garion! You don't have to shout!_"

He rolled over, groaning. "_Go away,_" he said, this time putting a reasonable limit on his thought.

"_Oh_." His grandfather's voice paused. "_Did I interrupt something?_"

"_Did you? I don't know,_" he said in a sarcastic voice. "_Ce'Nedra thinks so._"

He felt his father flinch. "_Well, sorry, Garion. I thought I'd tell you that Silk is back… and Liselle too_."

"_I don't give a damn what those two are up to. We were in the middle of something_." He said, getting up nevertheless. Ce'Nedra watched him from the bed, her hand on the amulet at her neck.

"_I said I was sorry. Pol and I can fill you in tomorrow morning if you like. Go back to your amusements_."

Garion groaned. "_What's the point? It's not the same; we're coming down._"

"_We?_" Ce'Nedra asked suddenly.

Garion felt his grandfather retreat. "Well, I'll go, but you don't have to if you don't want to."

Ce'Nedra frowned. "No, I'll go. I want to yell at your grandfather."

Garion nodded. "Okay, I think I might join you in that, actually."

They found Silk and Velvet waiting with the others in Belgarath's room. Garion noted with some intrigue that Silk looked somewhat shaken, but before he could point this out, Ce'Nedra marched up to Belgarath angrily. "_Perfect_ timing, old man!" She half-yelled.

He winced. "Sorry, I didn't realize…"

Garion glanced at Polgara, who was trying and failing to conceal a smirk. "You didn't _realize_? Am I supposed to accept that?!" Ce'Nedra continued.

Belgarath looked like he was about to reply, but Polgara stepped in, giggling slightly. "Father, Ce'Nedra, Let's try to remember what we're here for in the first place," She said, interrupted by a little snicker from Velvet. Polgara glanced at the spy and grinned before turning to Ce'Nedra. "You can continue this later, Ce'Nedra."

Ce'Nedra didn't look mollified, but she stepped back and nodded. "Alright, but you _haven't_ heard the end of this, old man." She said to Belgarath.

Garion's grandfather made a mock bow. "Whatever you say, your Majesty."

Velvet and Polgara started laughing, and Garion couldn't help but grin reluctantly. "Garion!" Ce'Nedra said angrily at his side.

"Sorry, dear."

She glared at him, and Polgara turned back to face them, this time keeping a straight face. "Anyways, Silk, I think you have something to tell us?"

He nodded from his sitting position. "Not much, but something." Garion noticed that Velvet watched him rather closely throughout his explanation of his visit with the Angarak lady.

When he'd finished, Garion's mind was reeling. "A traitor? Amongst us?"

Silk shrugged. "She said to watch my friends. It occurred to me that she might have been talking about Khelvor."

"Were you friends with him?" Belgarath asked.

Silk shifted uncomfortably. "You could say that, I suppose. I don't know how capable he is of treachery though, and the Angarak made it pretty clear that he was working for the Grolims. He was pretty… ambitious at the academy."

"Ambitious?"

Silk nodded. "Yeah, and Javelin didn't put him into the field until quite a while after me."

Velvet raised her eyebrows beside him, but didn't say anything. Polgara, however, was looking at Silk shrewdly. "Is that why you aren't friends anymore?"

"I didn't say that, but essentially, yes."

Beldin rose from his seat on Belgarath's bed. "Is he going to cause trouble for us? The lady's little speech before you left is kind of disconcerting. Usually, something that includes one of us affects the rest of us too."

"I don't know," Silk replied. "I could do some more snooping around, but I'm not sure how much good it will do. Liselle already had a look around Khelvor's room and she didn't find anything. Besides, I don't really fancy the idea of a confrontation. He's sure to recognize me, if he hasn't already."

"Is there any way you could pass it off for a friendly visit?" Belgarath inquired.

Silk shook his head. "No, I don't think so…" he trailed off, and Garion could tell by the tone of his voice that he had no intention of explaining.

Beldin looked thoughtful. "Couldn't one of us do it? Liselle, maybe?"

Silk shook his head again. "If anyone could do it, it would have to be one of the people who weren't at the bar with us because I'm sure he saw us there, and most Drasnian spies have good memories. He's probably been watching our group too, so I'm not sure if we'd even get away with that, and there are a good deal of other people who also have their eyes open for us."

An unexpected surge of rage suddenly boiled in Garion's mind. How dare anyone try and delay him in finding his son? "Why not just kill them and be done with it?" He growled in an uncharacteristically venomous voice.

The group looked at him in surprise, and there was a moment of complete silence in which Garion realized just how rash his comment sounded. The others continued to stare at him, but Silk started laughing, and Garion smiled sheepishly. "My friends," Silk announced. "I do believe we have found a replacement for our dear Mandorallen. Really, Garion, that alternative is useful once in a while, but…"

The rest of his companions also smiled somewhat patronizingly. "Sorry…" Garion mumbled. "That did sound a little…"

"Bloodthirsty?" Silk supplied. "You must learn to suppress such urges, Garion." Silk teased him.

Garion glared at his friend. "I notice _you_ have trouble doing so sometimes," he retorted.

Silk grinned. "Yes, I suppose so, but I've never been caught, have I?"

"You've never been caught by the wrong people," Garion corrected.

Silk shrugged. "Means the same thing, doesn't it?"

Before Garion could reply, Belgarath stepped in. "This is all very nice, but we've got something else on our hands. I don't like the idea of killing them without having a good scope of their plot, but we might just end up having to do that, and I think we've already got a volunteer." Garion's grandfather gave him a hard look.

Silk grinned. "Some assassin work will do you good, Garion."

"What?" Garion exclaimed, taken aback by his grandfather's statement. "You're not serious, are you?"

Belgarath sighed. "No, I'm not. We can't afford to waste time on this anyways. I think our best plan is to try and get out of here as fast as we can. We don't have any big commitments or obligations here, and we've dealt with such things before. Tomorrow morning, we'll try and slip out of here quietly."

Silk nodded fervently. "I like that idea," he said, and Garion noticed Velvet eyeing Silk with a strange expression.

Beldin grumbled and stood up. "Well if that's all you've got to say, I'm going to get some sleep."

Belgarath nodded. "Good idea, we should get good rest while we can."

Garion put an arm around Ce'Nedra and steered her out the door after Polgara and Durnik. He was glad of his grandfather's decision to leave early in the morning, but there was an insistent warning at the back of his mind, and it was with unease that he slid into bed beside Ce'Nedra and closed his eyes to sleep.

**Reviews:)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Yay! Okay, so here's chappie five... I apologize in advance for any typos or such that escaped my quick edit. Enjoy! **

**A big thank you to dark-hearted rose and Luckii Jinx for making this chapter possible! **

**And another big thank you to everyone who reviewed my last chapter!**

**Chapter 5**

Silk retired to Liselle's room that night instead of his, and she lay on the bed watching him quietly as he took off his knives and set them on the wardrobe, leaving the last one sheathed under his pillow. He didn't look at her as he went about his usual antics before bed. Her eyes had been on him all night long, and for some reason, he felt as if she saw through his strongest defense. "You told us the truth, didn't you?" She asked quietly. It was a question without doubt, asked more for the purpose of confirmation.

He glanced at her and nodded. "Was I not supposed to?"

There was silence for a moment before she replied. "Kheldar, you were different tonight. What's bothering you?"

Was he really that transparent? He sighed and slid under the covers next to her. "Nothings bothering me, I'm guess I'm just tired," he lied, silently asking himself when he started coming up with such lame excuses.

"Kheldar. I know you're lying. You might be good at it, but I'm just as good at seeing through them," she said bluntly. "Is it what that Murgo lady said? Is that's what's bothering you?"

He didn't answer right away, but lay on his back staring at the ceiling. "No," He said finally. "That's not it. She just… I don't know."

Her arm snaked its way over his chest and she snuggled closer but he didn't respond, bothered by the possibilities her question awakened. What _was_ bothering him? It wasn't what the lady said; he'd dealt with unnerving statements before. "Kheldar?" Liselle tried. "Remember what you told us she said? That she'd seen most men make the mistake of trusting her? What if you're making the same mistake?"

Silk looked at her. "What?"

"Are you worried that one of us might be a traitor like she said we might?"

He sighed. "Perhaps, but I don't think any of us would do that."

"I don't think she's capable of knowing, Kheldar." She explained. "She said she likes to toy with men and their feelings. I think that's exactly what she's doing to you. Maybe you shouldn't worry so much about what she said might happen."

Silk pulled away from her and sat up. "It's not that," he said, a little more abruptly than he'd meant. "It's the fact that I think she's right about me being in her sick little game. Something doesn't seem right to me. It doesn't make any sense, and I don't like it when things don't make sense. I think the only truth in what she said is that I _am_ going to end up being another one of her players."

"Why do you say that?" Liselle sounded surprised.

He stood up, suddenly unable to stay still. "Liselle, there's some things you don't know about Khelvor. If she's got him in her pocket, then I don't think she'd hesitate to…" he broke off, pacing.

She propped herself up on an elbow. "Tell me about Khelvor, then, and stop pacing."

He obeyed and sat on the edge of the bed. "Well, we… used to be friends, but that was before Javelin chose me over him. We pretty much competed in everything, and he was a good match for me, but Javelin thought I was better and gave me a field assignment first. It's a childish thing to be angry about, but Khelvor was Javelin's favorite for a while, and he _was_ really ambitious."

She watched him with her piercing eyes and put a hand on his shoulder. "And…" she prompted.

He glared at her, frustrated with the way she could so easily see through his feelings. He briefly considered telling her what she'd correctly noticed him leaving out, but decided against it and told her something different instead. "Well he was pretty angry when I got the job and not him. He… fell out of Javelin's favor pretty hard but I know for a fact he finally got put in the field long after I moved to Cherek to meet Barak. Since I wasn't working for Javelin anymore, he had trouble finding me, but I know he was looking for me and from what I heard, he wasn't interested in friendly reunions."

She was frowning slightly. "I think I knew him. He was younger than you," she said. "I remember my uncle introducing him to me when I was younger. He was very… determined."

"In what context?"

Liselle smiled impishly at him. "Well, I seem to remember him as _very_ friendly. I wonder if my uncle ever found out? He wouldn't have been happy."

Silk knew the answer to her question, but kept silent.

She grinned at him. "I don't think he's very much to worry about," she told him. "He was pretty clumsy around me. Maybe that's why my uncle didn't put him out in the field."

"I don't know about around you, but if he's clumsy, then that means I'm clumsy too, because we were pretty well matched in skill." Silk said. "He's the sort of person who wouldn't get over old grudges."

"But a grudge against you getting a job before him?"

"People do get mad at things like that," he pointed out.

She frowned at him. "But hunt you down because of it?"

He shrugged. "Well, maybe he's just… really bitter. Maybe he thought…"

"Maybe," she paused. "That doesn't really matter, though. What about his supposed involvement in a Grolim scheme? Would he be the kind of person to switch sides on us?"

Silk thought for a moment. "Not when I knew him." He decided finally. "He was ambitious, but quite a patriot, and I think Javelin would have someone watched if he thought one of his agents was rogue."

Liselle considered him. "As far as I know, my uncle wasn't watching him, so that makes me think that either Khelvor is acting on my uncle's orders or on someone else's and my uncle doesn't know about it."

"Javelin knows everything."

"Oh, come on, Kheldar. You can't possibly be naive enough to believe that. Drasnian intelligence is the best in the world, but we don't know _everything_." Liselle said, exasperatedly.

"Alright, I overstated it, but it was close," Silk amended. "In any case, I agree with you, but I'm more inclined to believe he's working for someone outside the Intelligence."

She nodded. "I think so too, I just hope that they leave us alone."

"I don't mean to be pessimistic, but I think there's a very slim chance of that. That little conversation back in the tavern screamed of intention to interfere with our plans."

They were silent for a moment, in which they silently agreed with each other and watched the moon hang in the air. "We should get some sleep," Liselle said quietly, reaching over for the glass of water on the bedside table and taking a sip.

Silk nodded, yawning. "Yeah, I'm tired." He watched her lay down, and wished he could do so also, but something stirred inside him and chased away his sleepiness. "Sorry, Liselle, but I think I'm going to sleep in my room tonight."

Liselle nodded, not opening her eyes. "Sleep well then, Kheldar."

He retrieved his knives and watched her sleeping form for a moment before slipping quietly out of her room and into the hall. The dark of his room was surprisingly refreshing, and for a moment, his mind was blissfully clear. However, that moment was far from comforting, for as all thought and worry fell away, a raw fear was left behind.

A chill went down his spine, and he pulled the door closed behind him. He had no intention of sleeping, so he set to fastening on his knives to occupy himself. His instincts told him that the absolute silence and calmness of the air was more than the stillness of late night. Restless worry took over ruthlessly, and he paced the floor to prevent panic from flowering in his mind. It was all too quiet, too tense, too perfect.

Unable to bear it, he thrust the door open and descended the stairs to the dirty tavern where passed out Angaraks lay sprawled over the grimy tables. The door seemed almost to fly open for him, and the hours before sunrise saw him wandering the dark alleys. He considered going back and spying on the Angarak lady, or looking in on Khelvor, and it was only with great self control that he avoided that idea. Instead, he wandered aimlessly, hoping the exercise would rid himself of his restless fear and anticipation.

It worked only slightly, and when the first faint tinges of pink touched the sky, he hastened back to the inn that they'd stayed at, hoping the others would be up and ready to go also. On his was up the stairs, he waited by Polgara's door and, with some disappointment, concluded that she and Durnik were still asleep. Unwilling to return to his empty room, he silently made his way down the hall to Liselle's room.

As he padded quietly along the hallway, the tense fear that had built up overnight seemed to magnify, and his heart was pounding painfully in his chest as he approached the door. His heart almost stopped when he saw the door was slightly ajar. He laid a hand on one of his knives to reassure himself they were still there and pushed the door open gently. It was likely to be nothing. He probably just left the door open when he left a couple hours earlier.

The scene that met his eyes screamed the opposite. Liselle was no where to be seen, and he noticed her knives still lay on top of the dresser. He knew that she, like himself, went no where without them. The bed was barely mussed, but the glass of water had spilled, and there were muddy footprints beneath her window, which was open, and he knew for a fact that it had been firmly closed when he left.

Suppressing the sick fear that rose in his throat, he drew a knife and held it ready at his side in case that someone was still in the room. He knew that Liselle could take care of herself, but the room provided plenty of evidence of kidnapping. To make sure, he put a hand under her pillow to feel for the sheathed knife he knew she kept there when she was sleeping. It was still there, and he could feel something wrapped around it.

He drew it out from under the pillow, and saw that a scroll of parchment was rolled around the sheath. Checking once more to be sure he was alone in the room, he unrolled it, dreading what it would read.

_Kheldar, _

_I assume I'm right in thinking you will be the first to see this. Old friendships die hard, Kheldar, but ours passed away long ago, and I want you to know that I've succeeded in what I meant to do when you drove me away. I have your huntress and I'm sure you've seen a much more lively side of her. She's quite tame now. _

_Your undying friend, _

_ Khelvor _

**Muahahahahahaha... Reviews make me uber happy, and uber happy means I might update soon... :) (It's all written already for those of you who haven't been reading my author notes...)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Some hot flashback action for you guys...**

**Francisca: Thanks for your review! I like writing Silk/Liselle dialogue... they're both spies so it makes it all very interesting... Hrm... I'm not going to tell you if your speculations are right or not ;) but you'll find out soon...**

**Catalin: Thanks! Yeah, sorry I haven't posted in a while... I've been working on another fanfic all week long, but now that it's finished, I'm back into the DE fanfic groove... **

**Just in case you guys are wondering how I answer my reviews: Those who leave a signed review, I use the link that the website provides, but people who leave anon. reviews I just answer in the next chappie... so its all good... yeah, thanks guys!**

**Chapter 6**

_"Oh come on! We might have scored the same, but you have to admit, my way had a flourish to it!" said the stocky, light haired boy who lay sprawled across an arm chair. _

_Kheldar laughed at his friend. "A flourish? You mean the sort of flourish that consists of falling off a roof?" _

_Khelvor frowned, looking hurt. "I didn't _fall_. I jumped, and there wasn't much else I could do anyways. His spy was on my tail." _

_"You jumped." Kheldar repeated. "And I'm sure you meant to land sprawled in a snowdrift. Was that part of said flourish also?" _

_"No, and the snowdrift was to muffle my fall." _

_"Ha! So you _do_ admit it was a fall!" Kheldar said triumphantly. _

_Khelvor grinned at him. "No, I didn't, and your way wasn't much better. You cheated." _

_"I have no idea what you are talking about," Kheldar said innocently. _

_"Cheating is a bad habit, Kheldar." _

_He grinned. "I wasn't aware there were any rules," he pointed out. _

_"But you don't employ your own classmates!" Khelvor exclaimed. _

_"Technically he's not my classmate, and we didn't get caught, did we?" _

_"What do you mean 'he's not your classmate'?!" _

_Kheldar pretended to consider his friend's question for a minute. "Well, for one thing: He's a freshie. For another thing… he's a freshie…and… oh! Did I forget to mention he's a freshie?" Kheldar said, referring to the new students by their derogatory nickname._

_Khelvor grinned. "Okay, I've used them once or twice in my assignments, but this was a test, Kheldar." _

_"He didn't do that much of it." Kheldar pointed out. _

_"It's still cheating." _

_"Not if you don't get caught." Kheldar said, smirking. _

_"I caught you, didn't I?" _

_"And are you going to do anything about it?" _

_Khelvor glared at him, but before he could retort, the dormitory door opened and a blonde girl poked her head in. "Hello, Liselle," Kheldar greeted her._

_She acknowledged him with a dimpled smile and swept her braids out of her face. "Uncle sent me to get you, Kheldar." _

_He stood up, wondering briefly if Javelin had found out that he'd 'cheated' on his field test. He sighed theatrically. "Ah, I suppose I must go confess then," he said in a tragic voice. _

_Khelvor chuckled from the armchair and Kheldar turned to wink at him. "Hi, Khelvor," Liselle said. _

_Khelvor promptly turned red. "H-hello Liselle," Khelvor stuttered, his ears now also turning red. _

_The girl looked at him bemusedly. "Coming, Kheldar?" _

_He glanced at her and back to his friend. "I'll be right there," he told her, smiling to himself. _

_She nodded and withdrew. "Bye, Khelvor."_

_When the door had shut completely and Kheldar was sure she was not listening, he turned to his friend and raised an eyebrow. "She's only thirteen," he said mildly. _

_Khelvor didn't meet his eyes. "So…" _

_"Well," Kheldar pressed. "She's almost four years younger than you." _

_"People have married people over ten years younger than them." Khelvor mumbled. _

_Kheldar chose to ignore his comment about marriage. "You do realize who her uncle is, right?" _

_"Leave me alone, Kheldar." _

_Kheldar looked at him shrewdly. "I'm just looking out for you, Khelvor. Javelin wouldn't like it, you know." _

_"Javelin wouldn't get mad at me. He likes me." _

_"That might change if he knew his favorite student had his eyes on his favorite niece," Kheldar pointed out._

_Khelvor still didn't meet his eyes. "You should go before Javelin gets mad at you." _

_Kheldar considered pressing his friend more, but decided against it and nodded instead, making his way to the door. "I still think my way was better," he said. _

_He heard his friend laughed, sounding relieved. "We can continue that little debate after you get back, Kheldar." _

_Kheldar turned and grinned at his friend as he left the room. _

**Yeah... this chapter was basically meant to fill in the gaps in Khelvor's history... sort of... theres some other stuff that comes out later... anyways, I should probably stop rambling lest I let something slip... Reviews:-)**


	7. Chapter 7

**No more flashbacks... sorry guys :) So... here you go! Once again, sorry for any typos... Happy reading! A huge thank you to all my reviewers!**

**Chapter 7**

Silk had the overpowering urge to kick something but he restrained himself and tried desperately to calm his mind. The fear had burned away, and a terrible hungry anger took its place. The contents of Khelvor's message chilled him to the bone, but his anger seared through his body and chased out the chill, leaving him shaking slightly.

Khelvor's message hinted strongly that Liselle was dead, but Silk knew otherwise. There was no point in kidnapping a dead person, and Silk doubted very much that Khelvor would kill the girl he once loved obsessively unless there was something Liselle had never told him. He also doubted that Khelvor still had such strong feelings for her. No, it made more sense that Khelvor harbored a fiery anger towards Silk himself. Forcing himself to look at the note again, he tried to extract what information he could from it.

Liselle was Hunter, so she'd told him, but the fact that Khelvor knew was decidedly disconcerting and only proved that his old friend had indeed been watching her. The rest of the message was understandable, but the last sentence sent another shiver down his spine. 'She's quite tame now.'

To be Hunter, one had to pass certain tests, and Silk knew one of them was a proficiency in self defense. Even asleep, Liselle should have been able to wake up and fend her kidnapper off. There was only one way that he could think of to take her without a serious struggle: poison.

His eyes fell on the pitcher of water and the spilled glass on the bedside table. Upon closer examination, he found nothing distinguishing about it, but he knew someone who could tell him if it was poisoned. Pocketing the parchment, he made his way to Sadi's room with the pitcher of water.

He didn't bother knocking, but opened the door and entered uninvited. "Sadi!" He hissed at the sleeping eunuch.

Sadi groaned and rolled over. "Kheldar? What do you want? And who let you in here?"

"I did. I need you to tell me something," he held out the pitcher. "You have some way of telling if a substance is poisoned, right?"

Sadi had sat up and was shrugging on a robe. "Yeah, there's a solution, but it only picks up common poisons. Why would you want that, anyways? What time is it, Silk? I'm pretty sure Belgarath didn't mean for us to leave this early."

"I'm not going anywhere," Silk said bluntly.

Sadi turned around to look at him. "What?"

"You heard me, now what about that solution?"

Sadi looked at him shrewdly before going to his bedside table and picking up a little bottle of clear liquid. "Here, put two drops of that in whatever you want to test," he handed the little bottle to Silk, but paused when he saw the pitcher he held. "What happened?"

Silk ignored his question and let two drops fall into the innocent looking water. "You keep this by your bed?"

Sadi nodded. "Yes, I check all the water that they give us at these inns before I drink out of them."

Silk looked up at him, surprised. "That's a good idea," he muttered.

"What happened?" Sadi repeated.

Silk held the pitcher forth so that Sadi could see its contents. "What do you say?"

Sadi peered in and nodded. "See the discoloration? It's been tampered with. Where'd you get that?"

Silk ignored him again and noted the bluish tinge the water had taken on. "Thank you, Sadi. Tell Belgarath we'll catch up."

"We?"

Silk turned to leave, but Sadi caught his arm. "What's going on, Silk?" Sadi asked insistently.

Silk looked at him speculatively. He didn't know why he was trying to hide anything from the man. Indeed, it was probably better that he tell the rest of his companions, but Khelvor's message was too personal to trust the man to leave Liselle alone if Silk involved others in his quest of rescue. "Nothing," Silk replied to Sadi. "I noticed myself feeling a little strange after I drank this, so I figured I'd bring it to you."

Sadi's expression turned from curiousity to worry. "We should find out what it is, then. I have an antidote to almost every common poison, and we can't have you dropping dead on us."

Silk silently berated himself. Every moment he wasted was another moment that Liselle could be dying. "No, I'm fine. I only had a little sip," he insisted, knowing it would not do any good.

"A little sip of a good poison can be just as potent as a cup full." Sadi had taken the pitcher from him and was subjecting it to an array of more clear solutions.

"Sadi, really, I'm perfectly fine,"

Sadi looked up abruptly from his testing the water. His eyes were searching. "Silk, if you want to go, all you have to do is ask." He said quietly.

Silk looked at him, relieved, and nodded. He turned to the door, and was halfway out when Sadi called out to him again. "Silk, did you actually have any?"

Silk turned and shook his head. "No," he said truthfully.

Sadi nodded. "I'll see you later then,"

Silk made to close the door behind him, but paused. "Thank you, Sadi."

* * *

Sadi knew exactly where to go. Silk could take care of himself, but Sadi wanted to be sure that the man didn't get them all into trouble, and he didn't particularly feel like creeping around after the spy all morning long. Instead, he made for Liselle's room, knowing the girl would be able to keep track of Silk with ease. 

Shivering slightly, he rapped his knuckles smartly against the door and waited for an answer. He didn't get one.

Cautiously, he tried the doorknob and found to his surprise that it was unlocked. Maybe she packed up already, or perhaps she had gone off with Silk. The room spoke otherwise, however. The first things he noticed were the daggers that lay on the dresser. He was almost positive that neither of the two Drasnians would leave without them, and Liselle was no where to be found.

A suspicion began to form in his mind, and the sight of the missing pitcher and spilled cup confirmed his fears. He'd found out what the substance in the water was, and at the time, it had puzzled him, but now he understood. The 'sleeping potion' as many called it was a solution that would induce almost immediate and deep sleep for about four hours. He knew people who used it for insomnia relief, but it was more commonly used as a tool in kidnappings.

Sadi didn't waste time, but went immediately to Belgarath's room and knocked loudly on the door. He could understand Silk's choice of action, but Sadi had an obligation to the whole group. The door opened quicker than Sadi thought it would, and a grumpy Beldin came into view. "What do you want Sadi? Are the others down yet? Are they waiting for us?"

Sadi shook his head. "No, I think we've got a bit of a problem."

"Oh dear, we've got plenty of those already. Tell them we don't want it."

Sadi smiled wryly. "I would if I knew where they were."

"Who?" Asked Belgarath, elbowing his brother out of the way.

"Silk and Liselle." Sadi replied smoothly.

Belgarath cursed. "Do you have any idea of what happened?"

"It looks to me like Liselle was kidnapped and Silk went after her." Sadi explained.

"By himself?" Beldin growled.

Sadi nodded. He explained to them about Silk's visit and the water with the sleeping potion in it. "Then I figured that Liselle would be able to keep an eye on him, so I went to her room and found her missing and her room had plenty of evidence to suggest kidnapping. Silk did look bothered when he was talking to me, and we all know about him and Liselle."

The two sorcerers spent a good minute reeling off expletives, and Sadi waited patiently for them to finish. "What shall we do?" he prompted them when they'd fallen silent.

"Well, first I want to see her room. Beldin, go get Pol and see if she can find either of them with her mind, she's better at it than we are. Sadi, come with me." Belgarath ordered, pushing past Sadi into the hall.

**Muahahahahha... I love writing Beldin... he's so much fun to write! anyways, Reviews anyone?**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Garion was just pulling on breeches when his grandfather's voice sounded in his mind. _Garion, meet us in my room right away._ He sounded stressed, Garion decided.

_I'm not ready yet, neither is Ce'Nedra, we can hurry up though. We'll be a couple minutes. _Garion told his grandfather, looking around the room for a shirt.

_Don't bother packing up, Garion. We're not going anywhere._

Garion paused in the act of donning a shirt. _What? What happened?_

_I'll explain everything when you get here, now hurry up._

Garion was about to respond, but Belgarath's voice was gone. "Hey, Ce'Nedra, Grandfather wants us in his room right now. I guess something happened."

Ce'Nedra looked up blearily from the bed. "Now? I thought we were leaving later than this."

Garion sighed. "According to my grandfather, we aren't going anywhere for the moment."

_And he is quite right_, announced the crisp voice of the prophecy.

Garion started. _Why? What happened?_

The prophecy sounded angry when it answered. _The other one cheated, that's what._

_Cheated? _Garion asked, alarmed. _What happened?_ He demanded.

_Belgarath will fill you in, I'm just here to tell you that under no circumstances are you to leave this godforsaken city without the guide or the huntress._

_The guide and the huntress? What happened to Silk and Liselle? _He asked, suddenly alarmed.

_I told you Belgarath can fill you in. Perhaps I'll be back to visit sometime soon_. And the voice was gone.

Garion muttered an oath under his breath and waited impatiently for Ce'Nedra to finish dressing. As soon as she had finished, they left immediately for the room down the hall.

The others had all congregated in Belgarath's room which he shared with his brother, Beldin. The two of them and Polgara all wore expressions of frustrated anger while Durnik hovered nearby his wife, looking worried. Silk and Liselle were no where to be seen. "What happened?" Garion demanded upon entry.

Beldin and Belgarath exchanged glances, and Beldin explained in a growling voice about Liselle's apparent kidnapping and Silk's consequent disappearance. "I thought that man had enough sense to inform us if something significant happened."

Garion cursed. "Well, I had a little visit," he said, tapping his forehead. "He orders us not to leave without them."

"I wasn't planning to," Belgarath said in a growl that almost matched his brother's. "Pol? Did you manage to find them at all?"

She scowled at the room. "No, I didn't. Silk's mind is impossible to locate, and I don't know what Liselle's feels like. I tried looking for Drasnians in the vicinity, but either a Grolim is hiding them from me or they're too far away for me to find."

"I could go look for them," Beldin offered.

Belgarath shook his head. "I don't think it will do any good. All three of them are Drasnians, and they're very good at hiding. Silk and Khelvor both know we're looking for them by now anyways. They're going to stay out of sight."

"What I don't get is why Silk wouldn't have told us." Ce'Nedra said in somewhat of a pout.

"His mind works in strange ways, Ce'Nedra. There could be a million reasons." Belgarath explained.

"Was this in the prophecy?" Polgara demanded.

"No," Garion replied, but it was the prophecy speaking. "Zandramas gave her underlings too long of a leash."

"So it wasn't Zandramas?" Belgarath asked, eyes lighting up at the voice of the prophecy.

"We must break you of that annoying habit, Belgarath. Really, how many times have I told you not to repeat the obvious?" The prophecy sighed. "No, it wasn't Zandramas."

"So it was Khelvor?" Polgara exclaimed.

"Very good," the prophecy responded.

"Can you help us?" Belgarath asked hopefully.

"That's what I'm doing. Keep going, Polgara, you were on the right track."

"So whose orders was Khelvor acting on? Zandramas? She wouldn't order us delayed though… she needs us to get to Kell just as much as we do." Polgara questioned.

"I wouldn't be too sure of that, Polgara," the prophecy answered. "Zandramas is subject to curious notions."

"So she _did_ order him to delay us. Well then, where does that leave him? Would she have ordered him to do something as dramatic as kidnap one of our companions?" Polgara asked.

"Would she?" The prophecy answered, sounding somewhat bemused. "Let me tell you, I'm not doing this to annoy you. I'm doing this because I'm allowed to help you a little because my opposite let Zandramas slip. I can't give you any direct information, though. Only tell you if you're right or wrong."

Polgara sighed. "So I'm guessing she wouldn't have ordered him to kidnap one of us, then."

The prophecy nodded, using Garion's head to do so.

"Then Khelvor's acting of his own accord?" Polgara sounded incredulous. "That's… Well, how does he intend to keep us at bay all by himself?"

"Silk said something about Grolims being involved, remember?" Beldin reminded her. "So Zandramas gives Khelvor a handful of Grolims to dispense with as he will and he decides to kidnap Liselle."

"That's pretty much it," the prophecy confirmed.

"Why Liselle, though?"

Polgara gave her uncle an exasperated look. "Please, uncle, they're all Drasnians, they've all been to the academy. There's more than reason to suspect that they all knew each other a long time ago."

"Why didn't Silk tell us then?" Beldin asked.

"He did mention something about recognizing Khelvor." Polgara pointed out.

"Hey guys, we're getting off track here," Belgarath reminded them, sparing a nervous glance at Garion, who grinned to himself, knowing his grandfather was worried the prophecy would leave suddenly. "I want to know where they are, can you help us with that?"

"Nope," the prophecy answered. "If you're done with your conversation, I think I'll go now. You basically got everything I was allowed to tell you."

"Tell us?" Belgarath asked, looking slightly angry. "Why didn't you just tell us, then? We're wasting time!"

"It got you started on this little conversation, which might be beneficial to your cause," the prophecy pointed out, with some measure of amusement.

"Well, that still wasn't very nice," Belgarath insisted.

Garion shook his head. "He's gone."

Belgarath grumbled to himself for a moment before turning back to the others. "So where does that leave us?" Durnik asked when Belgarath turned around.

Belgarath sighed. "We don't know anything about Khelvor or the mysterious Angarak lady and the two people who could help us in that department are missing. Silk's gone to rescue Liselle presumably, and he doesn't have a chance if he meets Grolims who can use their Will. Finding Liselle, I think, is second on our list of priorities. It seems this was directed more at Silk than her, and he is going to be the one that Khelvor has plans for. The first thing we need to do is find Silk and get him back here so we can _all_ try and find Liselle."

"And how do you propose to do that?" Polgara asked.

Belgarath sighed. "Any suggestions?"

It was Sadi who answered. "The 'sleeping potion' that was used in Liselle's water is commonplace in Nyissa, but outside, it's considered a poison, so not many honest people have it. It might help to ask around and see if there is anything that could lead us to the dealer or, more importantly, the buyer."

Belgarath considered him for a moment. "I like that idea, and while you're at it, see if anyone has seen Silk, and I'll trust you to do it in a way that won't put us or him in any more danger than we are." He paused, thinking. "In fact, the best approach to the situation that I can think of is to try and spread out and see if we can find him. Beldin, why don't you circle about as a hawk and see if there's anything worth seeing. Pol, you and I can go hunt down Grolims, and it would be nice if we could keep an eye out for Silk also."

"And us?" Garion prompted him.

Belgarath looked at him, Ce'Nedra, Toth, Durnik and Eriond. "Eriond and Ce'Nedra need to stay here with someone. Garion, you should go with Sadi, so I think Durnik and Toth would be the best people to stay."

Garion nodded. "Okay then."

"Oh, and Garion, you'll need to disguise yourself. There isn't much we can do about Sadi, but the rest of us will change ourselves somehow to avoid notice by any of Khelvor's men."

Beldin had transformed himself into the hawk and immediately flew out the window when he realized they were done talking, and Garion and the others left not long after him. Garion briefly wondered why none of the ones left behind protested that decision, but once on the street with Sadi, he let the matter drop from his mind.

**Thank you to my reviewers! Any more for me:) **


	9. Chapter 9

**yeah... So I'm really sorry that I haven't posted in a while, but yeah... I've been... writing book reports, watching CSI and doing homework... much fun... well... the CSI part anyways, yeah, I'll stop rambling now... I hope this chapter is to your liking... Reviewers, you are still awesome!**

**Chapter 9**

Silk knew exactly where Khelvor was. It was not hard to search the Angarak lady's empty room and find an address for a warehouse not far from her house. Now, he slunk through the dark halls of the warehouse, fingering the hilt of a dagger. The place seemed deserted, but Silk knew better. Only five minutes before, he'd heard telltale sounds of a struggle in one of the upper floors, and so now he made his way silently to the elusive stairs.

The warehouse was big, and its extensive corridors twisted and wandered through the bottom floor. It was almost as if the place had been designed to trap people willing to brave it in its maze of halls. There was also a disappointing lack of lanterns or torches, but Silk was skilled enough to not need them. In fact, he found it easier to slip through the unending passageways in the darkness.

He'd been wandering the halls for at least ten minutes, and it had already occurred to him that there was sorcery going on, something he was powerless against. Whatever the purpose of the sorcery, though, Silk now knew exactly where the stairs were. After a couple minutes of wandering about, he'd remembered Garion's and Belgarath's ability to create illusions, and he took to laying a hand on the walls as he walked. It did not take him long to find two or three fake walls. This, of course, raised disconcerting realizations. If the Grolims in the place knew to put illusions up, then they definitely knew he was there. As he walked, he thought it out carefully.

Khelvor had Grolim underlings that he'd somehow convinced to do his bidding, and that was bad news for Silk. Silk knew the chance of him getting past a host of Grolims unscathed was very slim, but it was too late to turn back now, and he doubted he could find his way out, much less be let out alive. Not only did the presence of Grolims bode ill for him, it meant that Khelvor was working for Zandramas or Urvon, and if one of them showed up, he definitely would not be getting out alive. The fact remained, however, that he was not dead yet, so Khelvor obviously had other things on his agenda. Silk still didn't like the idea that he was being toyed with, though, and that seemed to be exactly what the Grolims were doing.

His heart leapt suddenly at the sight of the stairs not far in front of him, but he froze as an ugly monster turned the corner and stopped resolutely before the stairs. It was much taller than him, and had grey, scaly skin and a long, spiked tail. Two red, beady eyes looked out at him from under heavy lids, and three, sharp looking horns protruded from its great ugly head. It studied him for a moment and threw back it's head, howling in a horrible voice that shook Silk in his boots.

For a moment, Silk was frozen to the spot, mind struggling to comprehend what he was seeing. He'd seen demons before, having five sorcerers and sorceresses as companions, but never had he been on the receiving end of one. Collecting his thoughts with some difficulty, he dropped to a crouch and drew one of his daggers. The horrible brute laughed. "You think you can defeat me, Kheldar?"

Silk paused. He remembered a time when Beldin had created an illusion of a demon to scare off enemies and a suspicion began to form in his mind. He knew how to test it too. Without any warning, he threw the dagger at the creature. The dagger rotated a couple times, moving too fast for the eye to see, and sailed straight through the monster. It was Silk's turn to laugh. "Hello there, Khelvor," he said insolently with more confidence than he felt.

The apparition growled. "I don't have a clue what you're talking about. I've been instructed to destroy you."

As it took great, thundering steps towards him, Silk sighed theatrically. "If we must, but I _really_ prefer not to fight with something that can't fight back."

The apparition growled and stopped right in front of him. It considered him for a moment before opening its mouth wide and bellowing. Silk scowled as its putrid breath engulfed his face, and steeling himself, walked straight through the apparition. "You'll have to do better than that, next time, Khelvor!" He yelled up the stairs, and turned back to where the apparition was to find that it had disappeared.

Grinning, he collected his dagger and made his way up the stairs. There was no point in being discreet. Everybody knew he was there now. Indeed, there were seven black robed Grolims waiting at the top of the stairs for him. He considered killing one of them, but the sight of a bloodied altar stopped him, and when one of the Grolim's held out a hand for his dagger, he gave it up. Another Grolim grabbed his arm aggressively and pulled him in the direction of the door across the room, but Silk jerked away. "None of that, now," he said angrily. "I'm not going to run," he assured them. He glanced around automatically, looking for possible escape routes. There was a corridor on his left, and a wide window with black, moth-eaten curtains hanging over it, but aside from that, the only exit was the door toward which he was being led.

The Grolim glared at him for a moment before they continued their trek across the room. "Kheldar," Khelvor greeted him when they entered the next room. "How nice of you to come."

"I felt obligated," Silk replied smoothly, carefully taking inventory of the room. There were five other Grolims flanking Khelvor, and the room was empty save for a plain wooden table and the chair on which Khelvor sat. Liselle was no where in sight, but Silk noticed that a badly bandaged bloody gash ran down the man's left arm. "An accident, Khelvor?" He motioned to the still bleeding gash.

Khelvor glared at him. "You aren't in a position to be rude, Kheldar."

"Forgive me," Silk answered in an annoying drawl. "Out of curiosity, was that like the time you fell into a snow drift? You _meant_ to get hurt, right?"

Khelvor stood up, face contorted in anger. "How dare you remind me, Kheldar?! That part of my life is gone. I serve a better purpose now."

"Zandramas? What did she offer you?"

"A future, Kheldar, a future. Just like the one _you_ took away from me." Khelvor growled.

"Just like it, eh? I was under the impression that consorting with Grolims and Murgos was a little worse than working for the Drasnian Intelligence."

Khelvor ground his teeth. "Might I remind you, Kheldar? That I have ten Grolims at my command."

Silk ignored him. "Or did she promise her love, because you lost the last one you tried so hard to ensnare."

Khelvor's expression turned from anger to hatred, and he motioned to someone behind Silk. Silk was ready though, and he slipped a dagger into his hand and slashed the Grolim across the stomach. However, a moment later, he found himself immobile, and another Grolim threw him bodily to the floor where he regained his ability to move. That was immediately hindered, however, by the fact that a Grolim decided to lay a sword tip against his neck.

Silk stopped moving and lay on the floor, breathing hard from the fall. His eyes narrowed in hatred as Khelvor came to stand over him. "Kheldar, do I need to demonstrate the power at my fingertips again?"

Silk glared at his former friend. "Where's Liselle?"

"Someplace where she can't hurt anyone," Khelvor said.

Silk couldn't help it. "Maybe this ridiculous transformation _did_ do you some good. You seem to be willing to admit mistakes now."

The sword was pressed uncomfortably against his skin, and he fell silent. "Wise decision," Khelvor said. "In fact, Liselle should be happy to see you." Khelvor motioned to two of the Grolims, and they disappeared through the door.

"Khelvor, I have a question," Silk said. He was pushing his luck, but he didn't think Khelvor was ready to kill him. "Does Zandramas approve of this little mission of yours?"

Khelvor's face turned visibly pale, and Silk smirked from his position. "I take that as a 'no'."

"Sir?" The Grolim holding the sword inquired of Khelvor.

"No, not yet," Khelvor told him. "And in answer to your insolent question, Kheldar, she has no reason to know."

"And her Grolims still listen to you?"

"They've sworn an oath."

"To a Drasnian?" Silk asked, genuinely incredulous.

Khelvor sneered at him. "To an ally."

Silk considered him for a minute. "A dead ally, you mean?"

Khelvor took the sword from the Grolim and slowly pressed down. Silk winced as he felt blood trickling down his neck. "Would you like to rephrase that?" Khelvor asked in a deadly voice.

Silk gritted his teeth as the sword tip was slowly drawn down to where it met the neck of his shirt. "You won't kill me yet, Khelvor," Silk told him.

The Drasnian traitor growled angrily. "You don't know that."

"No, I don't, but I can make a pretty close guess," Silk said, his voice shaking slightly despite himself.

Khelvor laughed suddenly, looking up as Liselle was led in by the two Grolims. Silk's heart almost stopped at the sight of her, disheveled and clothes soaked in blood. "Liselle," he said, his voice cracking slightly.

She looked at him, slung between the two Grolims. There was a flicker of something in her eyes that alarmed Silk. Her clear, blue eyes looked at him, full of hurt and accusation. "Liselle?" He asked, frightened. What did Khelvor tell her? "Liselle, what's wrong?"

She looked away, and Silk turned his angry eyes to Khelvor, who still stood above him, holding the sword. "What did you tell her?" He demanded.

Khelvor was smirking. "I think it's more of what _you_ didn't tell her."

"What?"

"Were you worried about her well-being? Is that why you didn't tell her about me? Is that why you didn't tell her she had a… to put it in your words 'a filthy, obsessed stalker' at the academy?" Khelvor asked him.

Silk looked at him, his eyes wild, before turning back to Liselle, horrified, ignoring the sword tip that slid across his skin as he did so. "Liselle! Please, Liselle, listen to me!" He implored.

She looked back up at him. "Kheldar, why?"

Words stuck in his throat, and to his consternation, he felt tears prickling at his eyes. "H-how much did he tell you?" He whispered in a strangled voice.

Her eyes were merciless. "He told me all about his antics at the academy… and your involvement. I thought that letter was harmless, Kheldar, a joke perhaps, played by you on your friends."

His heart sunk, and he closed his eyes, bidding the tears stay where they were. "Liselle—"

Khelvor's laugh cut him off. "Kheldar, you must really learn not to cheat."

Silk bit his lip to prevent himself from yelling. "Liselle," he started in a shaking voice. "Please, I shouldn't have used you, but…"

"Kheldar," she stopped him, her voice full of disappointment. "When you gave me that letter, you couldn't possibly have thought I wouldn't notice. I was going to the academy as well, and I can recognize forgery just as well as you can. I'd seen Khelvor's writing before."

"I was trying to warn you!" Silk protested, opening his eyes. "Khelvor was stalking you! I couldn't just let it pass, and I was ordered not to."

"What?" Her voice was surprised, and he felt Khelvor shift above him.

"Javelin told me to scare him off, and I thought the best way was to tell you, and I chose to do it through a letter." Silk explained, his voice straining with earnestness.

"Kheldar, you know I would have acted on it. You were using me. You wanted _me_ to confront him, but I saw through your plan." She told him, her voice full of accusation.

He felt a tear break through his defense. "Liselle, please, if I hadn't, what would have happened?"

Khelvor suddenly laughed again. "Kheldar, you have a very shrewd mind. I knew when she came to me with that letter, that you had betrayed me. She thought you were playing a joke on me, and she was right. It was a _very _nasty joke, Kheldar."

"Khelvor, I wouldn't have done it had you'd been instructed in proper courting conduct when you were younger. I couldn't let you dog her every step and steal her privacy. I meant every word of what I said to you when you confronted me that day." Silk had stopped trying to conceal his tears. "If you were wondering why Javelin didn't like you any more after that day, then you have your answer."

Khelvor was shaking. "I thought at least my friend would understand. I was wrong though, and he still doesn't, but the term 'friend' doesn't apply any longer."

"What made you think I would understand your sick desires? Despite all evidence to the contrary, I do have a streak of decency." Silk told him. "Your intentions were far from innocent, it had gone beyond love, Khelvor, it _was_ a filthy obsession. I see you still harbor it."

Silk looked back at Liselle, relieved to see that her eyes had softened. Khelvor's eyes, however, hardened. "I think we've exhausted the possibilities of this conversation, Kheldar," he said in a dangerously quiet voice. "My 'love' for her is no longer, and I have no more reason to keep you alive, either. Zandramas instructed me to delay you, and so I have."

There was a shuffle behind Silk, and he felt someone pulling him to his feet. A moment later, found himself being marched into the other room. "Khelvor," He implored desperately. "Think of what Zandramas will do to you! You aren't allowed to do this, the prophecies forbade it."

"What do you know of the prophecies?" Khelvor snarled. "I promised a sacrifice for the Grolims who assisted me, it seems they will get two today."

Silk met Liselle's eyes and saw tears shining on her face. "I'm so sorry, Silk," she whispered, but her voice faded into a whimper as two Grolims bent her back over the altar.

Khelvor laughed cruelly, and Silk reached for another dagger, but a fist met his stomach, and he doubled over in pain. Two Grolims behind him took either of his arms and bent them back behind him, so that he leaned back on them helplessly, facing the horrendous sight of Liselle laid out on the altar, tears streaming down her face and eyes shut tightly.

The Grolim standing over her took a dagger from his robe—one that Silk recognized as his own.

"No!" Silk screamed, his heart pounding so painfully that he suspected it would explode.

He struggled vainly against his captors, and the Grolim holding the dagger turned to sneer at him before turning back and raising the knife just above her heart. He could see Khelvor out of the corner of his eye, a hideous indescribable expression on his face. "Goodbye, Liselle," hissed Khelvor, turning to look at Silk, whose expression of emotional anguish did not change.

The knife descended in one agonizingly long second and crimson blood exploded over the altar, accompanied by a horrid, grating scream of the robed Grolim standing over her.


	10. Chapter 10

**Hola! Welcome back my friends! Yeah... I kinda forgot about fanfiction for a while... but I'm back, and you have an update! Enjoy!**

**Chapter 10**

Durnik was used to being shunted aside so he took his order to stay at the inn with little complaint. Sure, he wanted to be involved in the hunt for Silk and Liselle, but he regretfully believed that the others could do a wonderful job without him. Like them, however, he was worried for his friends, and very much wanted them back to safety.

The room was quite silent for a good moment. Toth sat quietly on the bed and Eriond stood demurely by the door. Ce'Nedra, however, was busy pacing the floor and gnawing on a lock of hair. "We can't just sit here and do nothing!" She exclaimed, throwing her arms up in the air.

Toth nodded an agreement and Durnik moved to sit down next to his big friend. "I couldn't have said it better," he said.

"I know where they are," Eriond declared in a clear, confident voice.

Durnik looked up sharply. He hated it when that boy did that. "What?" He asked.

"They're in a warehouse not far from here," Eriond told him.

"Why on earth did you not tell the others about this?!" Durnik demanded, standing up and getting ready to transform.

"I didn't know when they were here," Eriond said, coming to stand next to him.

Durnik was about to send a thought to Polgara, but an unfamiliar voice sounded in his mind. _No!_ Said the voice. _Go now! You don't have time._

Durnik paused, and looked down at Eriond. "Where is that warehouse?" He asked.

"I'm coming!" Ce'Nedra exclaimed.

"No you're not," Durnik replied smoothly without turning around. "Toth, can you keep an eye on her and Eriond while I'm gone?"

He turned to see his friend's reply. _Yes, of course_ said the big man. Durnik nodded his grateful answer and turned back to the boy standing before him. "Eriond?"

The boy looked up at him. "Transform me," he requested.

"You aren't coming," Durnik told him, but the voice sounded in his mind again. _Enough of that, let him come, you don't have time! Really, you're worse than Belgarath_.

_Who are you?_ Durnik asked, but the voice was gone. Resisting the urge to curse, he turned back to Eriond. "Okay, here, take my hand,"

The little boy took his hand, and Durnik held the image of a mouse in his mind. Polgara had told him about how she'd transported others before, and he chose to copy what she did. A moment later, a little field mouse sat in his hand, looking up at him. It wasn't perfect, but perfection wasn't what he was shooting for. He set Eriond the mouse down on a table and quickly transformed himself into the hawk that he'd always used when transforming.

A moment later, they were in the air. To his surprise, Eriond didn't struggle in his grasp. He had no idea how he knew, but somehow, he knew exactly where to go, and his well equipped wings got him to the warehouse within two minutes.

They got there right on time. He perched on the window sill and set Eriond down, barely managing to suppress a screech at the sight that met his eyes. A good number of hooded and cloaked Grolims stood around the room, and an unfamiliar man stood with a horrible expression of sadistic entertainment on his face. Silk was slung between two Grolims, and his expression was one Durnik knew he would never forget. The Drasnian spy screamed, and Durnik followed his gaze, insides freezing as his eyes fell on a blood-covered Liselle laid out over an altar. A hooded Grolim priest stood over her, holding a dagger that dripped blood.


	11. Chapter 11

**Another short chapter, sorry guys, but hopefully it will accomplish my evil ends... muahahahah... lol. sorry... anyways, Sorry for the long time between updates again... I was studying for finals, taking said finals, going to parties and fairs with friends and cleaning my room (which took a couple hours) anyways... Here you go! Now that school's out, I'll be updating a lot more so yeah... **

**Chapter 11**

Silk stared, horrified and bewildered, at the dagger that sprouted from the dead Grolim's temple. He had little time to be shocked, though, for a moment later, the room exploded into movement and he felt himself being thrust backwards into another waiting Grolim who immediately lifted a knife to his throat. However, Silk had a dagger in his hand already and he stabbed the Grolim behind him and whirled around, looking for their rescuer.

To his surprise, he saw Durnik brandishing a short sword at the Grolims while pushing Eriond protectively behind his back. Durnik acknowledged him with a nod of his head, but Silk spared only a moment for a return of recognition. He turned back to face the altar and saw Liselle being restrained by another Grolim. A sudden rage took hold of his mind, and he killed the Grolim with a vicious stab to the neck. "Liselle!" He said in a strangled whisper choked by tears as he kneeled by her and took a shaking hand into his.

She burst into tears in response and flung herself into his arms. "I'm so sorry, Kheldar!" She cried. "He told me… he told me…"

He didn't have time to comfort her, however, for Durnik yelled at him from behind a wall of Grolims. "Silk! Get up!" There was a pause in which Silk suddenly remembered his friend was being attacked by a dozen Grolims.

He stood up and handed her his last dagger. Another moment passed and he reluctantly let go of her and bent down to retrieve a dagger from the floor, a shiver going down his spine when he realized it was the one Liselle had almost been sacrificed with.

His shiver of recognition, however, was ill-timed, for an unseen Grolim had crept up behind him and wrapped an arm around his chest, pressing a cold knife to the skin beneath his chin. "Very intense little conversation, _Kheldar_" whispered the Grolim. "Zandramas will be happy to hear about Khelvor's treachery, but _you_ won't be there to gloat."


	12. Chapter 12

**Aw... No reviews for ch. 11? Thats disappointing... I didn't get any feedback on my cliffy... anyways... I know it was a short chapter, this one is a little longer and I didn't do such a thorough edit, but I'm pretty sure I caught all the typos... anyways, it might be a little confusing, but I guess we'll see... Enjoy!**

**Chapter 12**

The fist thing that alerted him was Liselle's scream, and Durnik whirled around, letting his sword catch one of the last three Grolims across the belly. "Liselle!" He yelled, searching the room with his eyes.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Eriond dart out from behind him, but with one wave of his hand and a carefully chosen word, he paused the boy in his tracks. The two remaining Grolims were advancing on him, and he did the same to them, putting them to sleep to simplify things.

Only then did he turn back and see Silk choking on blood, a gash across his neck bleeding freely. Heart beating wildly, he joined Liselle on the floor, who had two hands pressing tightly on the spy's wound. His mind refused to function, and it was only when Liselle practically screamed in his ear that he came to his senses. "Don't press so hard," he instructed, in a daze. "He needs air, but keep your hands on his wound."

_POL!_ He shrieked wildly. She'd taught him a little of the healing art, but he was nowhere near proficient, and had never before attempted to heal something as serious as a slit throat.

Her voice came back bewildered and annoyed. _Don't shout, Durnik. How many times have I—_

_Get over here! _He snapped. _Hurry! Silk's dying!_ He frantically showed her with his mind where they were, and prayed fervently that she would listen to him.

_What?_ She asked, the crisp bite gone from her voice. _What happened, Durnik? I thought we told you to stay at the inn!_

_I can explain later! Hurry up!_ He implored. _I have no idea what to do, Silk's dying, Pol, I need your help!_

A flutter of wings in the window made him look up, and the next thing he knew, Polgara was kneeling on the floor next to him while Belgarath and Beldin stood surveying the room with an almost identical shocked expressions. "Liselle, lift your hands away," Polgara commanded in a voice that threatened death to any who disobeyed her. "And step away, Silk needs some space, we need to work quickly. Father!"

Liselle stepped backwards, her face tear-stained and distraught as Belgarath took Durnik's place at Silk's side. "Uncle, go back to the inn and get my kit, we'll need it sooner or later."

Beldin transformed and left with no argument, and Durnik found himself shunted to one side, watching Silk's horribly pale face. The man's skin was almost paper white, and the blood that still ran freely from his open wound spilled over it like red ink. Each time he heaved for air, a sick splutter would sound in his throat and he'd lay back again, eyes wide and fearful.

Polgara had her eyes closed, and her fingers traced Silk's wound as she mumbled something quickly under her breath. Belgarath laid a hand on her shoulder and was also muttering hurriedly. "Durnik, don't hover," ordered Polgara, in a crisp, calm voice. "Get me some boiled water and a clean rag."

Durnik conjured some wordlessly and handed them to her. She took them without response and dipped the cloth in the water, wringing it out and holding it over Silk's brow. Durnik looked back at the spy, and saw with only mild-surprise that the gash had became more of a thin cut, like those that ran down the man's chest. "Durnik…" Silk mumbled. "Where's Liselle?"

"She's here," Durnik whispered, kneeling by his friend after determining from his wife's expression that the worst was past. Liselle came over and took over Polgara's job of keeping Silk hydrated.

"Did they hurt you?" Silk mumbled to Liselle, who shook her head wordlessly, tears shining on her cheeks.

"Where is he?"

Durnik knew who Silk was asking about, and suddenly wondered why he hadn't noticed Khelvor missing before. He glanced around the room, not seeing anybody, dead or alive, who looked remotely like a Drasnian. In fact, it seemed like there were less incapacitated Grolims than he'd seen when he'd first arrived. After a moment of silent debate about whether or not to answer Silk question, he settled for "He got away, and it looks like he took three or four Grolims with him."

Silk watched him through bleary eyes for a moment and nodded. "I didn't expect him to hang around…"

Try as he might, Durnik could pick out no hint of intention in Silk's voice, and against his better judgment, decided to let the matter drop. "Enough," said Polgara in a sharp voice. "He needs rest, get away, you two."

Durnik stood and pulled Liselle away gently. "Are you hurt?" He asked, eyeing the blood on her shirt.

She shook her head. "Not terribly," she replied, voice shaking.

Polgara, however, elbowed Durnik out of the way. "Show me where you're bleeding," she commanded of Liselle, who glanced at Silk worriedly. "There's not much more we can do about him right now, show me where you're hurt."

Durnik sighed and turned away to Belgarath and Beldin, who'd just gotten back. "Can't that man learn how to stay out of trouble?" Beldin growled.

Durnik smiled wryly. "I don't think that's one of the courses they teach at the academy."

"No, probably not. I'll be going up to have a word with Javelin about that," Beldin answered. "Where's Khelvor? Didn't Silk come to find him?"

Durnik sighed. "He's not here. I think he got away in the confusion of our little skirmish. Those two are still alive." Durnik pointed to the two Grolims who lay not five feet away.

Eriond wandered over to their group and stood by Durnik, considering the three sorcerers for a minute. "No they aren't," Eriond replied. "They died shortly before you put them to sleep," he announced.

"What?" Belgarath asked, pausing in the act of checking for a pulse. "What do you mean?"

"Durnik tried put them to sleep," Eriond explained. "They killed themselves on orders from Zandramas."

"Do you know their thoughts?" Belgarath asked hopefully.

Eriond shook his head. "No, only that their thoughts don't make a difference to the purpose here."

"Our purpose here?" Beldin repeated. "What purpose? You mean all this was supposed to happen?"

Eriond shook his head again. "No, when Liselle was kidnapped, it opened a… door of sorts. Now this little section of the prophecy has to be fulfilled before we can continue."

"What?" Beldin asked, looking bewildered. "You mean the prophecy changed itself?"

"No," Eriond explained patiently. "It was always the same, but this string of events was a _possibility_, and now that this possibility has been started, it has to be finished."

"But… Wait, didn't the prophecy say earlier that it's opposite cheated? So this _wasn't_ supposed to happen," Beldin replied, confused.

Eriond nodded. "It's opposite _did_ cheat," he said slowly.

"But you just said—"

"How do you know this?" Belgarath interrupted.

Eriond shrugged. "The prophecy."

"Why doesn't it just talk to me?!"

Eriond gave him a little smile. "Anyways, this _wasn't _supposed to happen, but now that it has, it has to be finished."

"So was it or was it not a part of the prophecy?" Beldin growled.

Eriond hesitated. "It's not in the prophecy, no," he said after a moment of thought. "But now that it's happened, the possibility has to be finished."

Beldin and Belgarath looked at each other in consternation.

"And the Grolims' thoughts don't make a difference to the fulfilling of this possibility?" Durnik questioned before either of the sorcerers could say anything.

"That's right,"

"So what do we do now?" Belgarath inquired, frustrated. "Wait for something to happen?"

"Maybe it already happened," Beldin pointed out.

"Eriond?" Belgarath turned to the boy questioningly.

"I don't know," Eriond replied.

Belgarath sighed. "Well, I think what we need to do now is keep Silk and Liselle out of trouble until Silk's able to leave."

"Which won't be for at least a day or two," Polgara supplied, joining their group. "He needs rest. I was forced to do a sloppy job of patching him up because of the time that had passed since he was first wounded. He'll need perhaps two days to heal completely, and then he needs to take it easy for a while."

Belgarath and Beldin glanced at each other. "I say half a day," Beldin said cryptically.

Belgarath glanced over at the unconscious Silk. "One day, because Pol will be hovering over his bed for the first day."

Beldin shook his head. "Not a chance,"

"What on earth are you guys doing?" Polgara demanded.

"Betting on how long he'll obey your orders, of course," Belgarath answered innocently.


	13. Chapter 13

**Mmm... I'm rather fond of this chapter, considering it was one of the only chappies in the thing that I was able to write real Silk/Liselle interaction/romance... I barely edited this thing, but I just read through it, so I suppose it's alright... There's about... three chapters left? anyways, enjoy guys! and thank you very very very much to my awesome reviewers!**

**Chapter 13**

_He was sliding through thick, suffocating rock that pressed against him on all sides, it's stone fist clenching around his heart, his lungs, his body. The end was near, he knew that, but his frantic mind was getting increasingly hard to subdue. He wasn't sure he could make it all the way across. _

_Then, after what seemed like an eternity, he felt fresh air on his skin, and he tumbled, shaking to the ground. Expecting to see Relg standing above him, he looked up, but the Ulgo fanatic had disappeared, and an Angarak woman stood in his place, leering down at him. He pushed himself away from her, an irrational fear taking over. And then, beside her was Khelvor, laughing at something beyond him. _

_Great shudders racking his body, he turned around and saw Liselle, hanging tortured from chains, her face pale with death. _

His scream died in his throat as his eyes opened and he saw the concerned, anxious, yet comfortingly alive face of Liselle. "Kheldar!" She whispered, taking his hand and putting it against her cheek.

Any sort of feeling suddenly deserted him and he knew only the feel of her skin on his. The dream was quickly receding, but it left questions, and an overwhelming curiosity came over him, chasing away the numbness. "Liselle…" He smiled, struggling to regain his composure.

There were tears in her eyes, and she sniffled. Silk pushed himself into a sitting position and took her in his arms, letting her cry softly on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Kheldar," she mumbled.

"For what?" He asked gently.

"I-I didn't believe you, I didn't realize…"

He put a hand across her lips. "Shh… It's not your fault. Khelvor… I was the one who sent that letter. I _did _use you."

"But… but I didn't realize…"

"Liselle, be quiet. Javelin told me to get rid of him. I should have done it instead of let you take care of him." He confessed.

She pulled away from him and he handed her a handkerchief from the bedside table, but she didn't take it. "Kheldar, when you gave me that letter explaining everything about Khelvor… It was all true… I thought—I thought you were just playing a trick on Khelvor… I thought that you'd forged a confession from Khelvor just as a joke… but it wasn't."

He shook his head. "No, I didn't want to… break my friendship with Khelvor. He might have been stalking you, but he was still a good friend, so I took the easy way out and figured that when you saw that letter, you would talk with him, and I thought that he would back off, but I forgot that Javelin was your uncle." He smiled wryly. "I suppose recognizing forgery was something you'd known for a long time."

She nodded. "Yes, Javelin taught me some stuff before I went to the Academy."

"I have a question," Silk asked after a moment. "I knew something happened between you and Khelvor, because when he came back to me that day, we got in that fight that I had wanted to avoid. That's why he was saying I drove him off, because essentially, that's what I did. But, why did you never find out that I was telling the truth?"

She sighed. "When I showed him the letter, he laughed it off, and I didn't notice anything. You never told me because you left me soon afterwards, and Khelvor never told me either. In fact, I only saw him once after that. I just figured he'd gotten a field assignment like you did."

Silk paused. "You didn't see him?" He asked in surprise. "He was at the academy still when you started. Surely you saw him once or twice."

She shook her head. "No, but there's a logical explanation for that. If my uncle knew he was stalking me, he would have kept Khelvor as far away from me as possible." She frowned. "When Khelvor explained everything to me yesterday, though, he said that he was still stalking me after you left." She shuddered.

Silk grimaced. "So I didn't do my job right. I'm sorry, Liselle." They were silent for a minute. "He told you everything?"

"Yes," she answered. "He sounded disgusted with himself, but I got the impression he was angrier towards you than he was me. He… often expressed the desire to put you in as much pain as possible before you died."

Silk flinched. "He succeeded. My heart almost stopped when he ordered the Grolim to sacrifice you."

She smiled at him fondly and opened her mouth to respond, but was interrupted as the door opened. "You! Lie down." Polgara ordered. "You're supposed to be resting."

Silk looked up at her. "Yes, Polgara," he answered meekly, laying down again. Polgara gave him a severe look and took a bottle from the bedside table. "Liselle, go get some sleep. You need rest too."

Liselle bent down and kissed Silk on the cheek before smiling at him and leaving. Silk couldn't help but go red, and Polgara smiled understandingly. "Here, drink this, and drink _all_ of it." She handed him a cup.

He grimaced. "What's in it?"

"Nothing you'd recognize," she answered, lifting it firmly to his mouth.

It burned his throat, and he gagged but drank the whole concoction, resisting the urge to hurl. "How long was I asleep?" He inquired, making a face when he'd finished.

"The rest of yesterday and through the night… and Liselle was up with you all night long, as was I, and you're on strict orders to not go anywhere until I've decided your ready." She told him.

He sighed. "I should have known."

She raised an eyebrow. "You mean you didn't?"

He glared at her. "How long?"

"I'd say another day or so." She answered.

"Another _day_?" He demanded. "I don't want to stay in bed for another day!"

"Stop whining," she told him. "You're going to whether you like it or not, even if that means I have to chain you to this bed, so don't you so much as think about leaving."

He put on a submissive, meek face and nodded. "Yes, _mother_."

She glared at him. "I'm leaving now, and believe me, I will know if you decide to leave. Oh, and if Liselle comes in, make sure she gets sleep."

"Wait, what are you guys going to be doing?" He asked as she opened the door to leave.

She looked back at him. "We'll be busy."

"With?"

"Something came up," she replied cryptically.

He raised his eyebrows, but upon second thought, let it pass and yawned theatrically. "Okay then. Well if I'm officially bedridden, I think I'll use the time for sleep."

She looked at him suspiciously, but he yawned again and closed his eyes, and she left.

He waited for a moment after the door closed and slipped out of bed silently. He had no intention of sleeping, of course. His neck did not hurt him, and he did not feel the least bit fatigued. In fact, his every nerve was awake and tingling, anticipating revenge.

From previous experience, he knew that revenges often ended in capture because anger often dulled one's mind and they became sloppy. To calm himself, he paced the floor quietly, letting his mind wander. Suddenly remembering the reason for his confinement in the first place, he tentatively lifted a hand to his neck.

His fingers found no ropy scar, but only a slight raised line that stung a little as he ran his finger along it. Looking at his reflection in the dark glass window, it appeared as a white scar that was starkly visible in the candlelight. He wasn't quite sure what sort of emotion to associate with the scar. Terrible as the day before might have been, it was something he didn't want to forget, but he didn't want it to follow him around and haunt his dreams as he knew it would.

He paused, his hand only halfway down to his side. He suddenly remembered the dream he'd had just before Liselle woke him up. He'd almost forgotten about the Angarak lady. What part did she have in this plot? The thought of her made his blood boil, but what part did she actually play? It was almost as if she was a prophet: telling him of what was to come and bluntly adding that he would be part of it, willing or unwilling. Did she have some part in Khelvor's scheming? Of course, why else would she have said what she did? But then again, she'd told him she manipulated men for her own amusement. At this thought, a horrible anger clenched it's iron fist around his heart. Amusement? She was amused at the suffering of others? She was amused at his expense, and Liselle's.

Anger coursing through his veins like fire, he retrieved his knives from the dresser and silently slipped out through the window before his need for revenge consumed him in his inactivity. Polgara might or might not know he was gone, but he was confident nobody would interrupt him in what he set out to do. The last vestiges of his friendship with Khelvor had burned away. Khelvor would not escape unscathed.


	14. Chapter 14

**Okay okay okay... so I remember _exactly_ why I put this chappie in when I wrote this... When I got to this point when I wrote it... I realized that there was an inconsistency in what the prophecy said and what Eriond told them... and that didn't make sense, so I decided to put this in to clear that stuff up... Anyways... yup, so enjoy! **

**Chapter 14**

"What can we do?" Liselle asked wearily, leaning back in her chair.

The others all looked back at her. They'd gathered in Belgarath's room once again and were discussing alternatives. "There isn't much right now," Belgarath answered as Polgara walked in.

Liselle stood up immediately. "How is he?"

Polgara stared at her. "What are you doing up? I thought I told you to go to bed."

Liselle shrugged. "I couldn't sleep. How is Kheldar?"

The sorceress sighed and took a seat on the bed. "He's doing fine. He's not as bad as I told him he is. I told him that because he _does_ need to sleep regardless of how badly he's wounded."

Beldin snorted. "That man will do what he wants whether or not you tell him not to."

"I don't doubt that, but I told him I'm keeping an eye on his room." Polgara answered.

"Are you?" Belgarath asked.

"No," She said. "But he was asleep when I left."

"Will he be alright?" Liselle asked worriedly.

"Yes, he's fine. He just needs rest. I did what I could, but his body needs time to heal on its own." Polgara told her.

Liselle nodded, and the room was silent again. Beldin got up and started pacing, face troubled. "Well, let's try and think this out."

Belgarath sighed. "We've already done that, and we can get all the answers we want from Silk or Liselle."

Beldin paused by the window and shook his head. "That's not what I mean."

"Do explain, then."

Beldin turned to Eriond. "You said something has to happen here before we can go on, right?"

Eriond considered him for a moment. "Essentially, yes."

"So either it's already happened, or we're waiting for it to happen, but we've got no way of knowing. It might be that the confrontation between Silk and Khelvor was what was supposed to happen, or maybe the EVENT hasn't occurred yet." Beldin mused.

"That's a repetitive way of putting it, but I agree." Belgarath answered. "But one thing, we can't assume this is an EVENT. In fact, it probably isn't. An EVENT is a meeting between the Child of Light and the Child of Dark, and right now, Zandramas is the Child of Dark. Unless that… title changed, which I doubt it has, this couldn't be an EVENT."

Beldin nodded. "Okay, but something _does_ have to happen here. Hang on. Garion, your 'friend' said the other side cheated… So how could this have been in the prophecy in the first place if it wasn't allowed to happen?"

"The prophecy never said how the other side cheated." Garion reminded him.

Beldin started pacing again. "How could it have cheated then?"

"They're forbidden to kill any of us, right?" Ce'Nedra asked suddenly.

Beldin looked at her in surprise. "Yes, but—"

"Well maybe it cheated when they tried to kill Liselle." Ce'Nedra reasoned.

Garion shook his head. "No, it spoke to us far before that."

"Wait a minute," Beldin growled. "When the necessity spoke to us, it told us this _wasn't_ in the prophecy, but Eriond says it was."

Belgarath threw his hands in the air, frustrated. "This makes no sense! Eriond, who told you it was in the prophecy?"

Eriond shook his head. "I don't know, I just somehow knew that it was. I don't think I can explain it in words, but I do know that what I told you was true."

Polgara suddenly leaned forward. "Can you tell us exactly what you said before?"

Eriond nodded. "I told you that when Liselle was kidnapped, it put into motion a series of events that was a possibility when the prophecy was first given."

"When Liselle was kidnapped…" Polgara repeated.

Liselle looked up. "He did say something about fulfilling the prophecy." She told them. "I didn't believe him because I knew the prophecy focuses on Garion and Ce'Nedra."

"Not necessarily." Belgarath said. "The prophecy follows all of us, not just Garion. I knew about your families and you before you were even born."

"So… what?" Beldin asked. "There was a whole different prophecy about Silk and Liselle and Khelvor? Somehow I doubt that…"

Belgarath shook his head. "I don't think so either, I think it _was_ in the prophecy, and what Eriond told us about it being a possibility does make sense."

"How does that fit in with what the prophecy said, then?" Beldin asked.

"Sometimes the prophecy has a twisted sense of humor," Belgarath reminded him. "Maybe it was referring to something else."

Eriond suddenly spoke. "When the necessity was talking to us, it said that Zandramas gave her underlings too long of a leash. Maybe it meant that this was supposed to happen at the hands of Zandramas, not one of the people working for her."

Beldin looked at him skeptically. "I don't know about that. The prophecy wouldn't be _that_ obscure."

Belgarath nodded. "Yeah, it's been pretty vague in the past, but not this vague."

Garion suddenly spoke, but Liselle could tell at once that it was the prophecy speaking through him. "Really! You people are so frustrating sometimes. Do I have to lay out _everything_ for you?"

Belgarath looked up excitedly. "You can help us?"

"I can _clarify_ things for you," It responded. "Eriond's right. My opposite and I had a little talk. We agreed that this has to happen regardless of Zandramas' involvement."

"So this was always in the prophecy, but Zandramas was the one who was supposed to kidnap Liselle if it did happen?" Belgarath repeated.

The prophecy sighed. "Isn't that what I just said?"

Belgarath ignored its comment. "So can you help us any more?"

"Not really, but I do advise Liselle to get some sleep now," It replied.

Liselle looked at Garion, surprised. "Am I going to need it?" She asked.

Garion shook his head. "He left."

Belgarath cursed. "I _hate _it when he does that!"

"I suppose I should listen to it…" Liselle muttered, getting up and yawning. As much as she didn't want to admit it, she _was _tired.

"Yes you should," Polgara said fiercely. "Now go."

Liselle nodded and left, sighing. She didn't want to sleep. She didn't want to wake up and find herself with Khelvor again, and she most definitely did not want to wake up and find Kheldar dead or missing. After a moment's hesitation, she made her way to Kheldar's room. Knocking quietly and receiving no answer, she let herself in silently.

Her mind went numb upon entry. His bed was empty, the knives were gone from the dresser top and the window was wide open. There was no doubt in her mind about where he'd gone.


	15. Chapter 15

**Okey dokey... one of the last chappies for you... Enjoy! **

**Chapter 15**

The night was calming, and it cooled his mind until he could think decently well. He wasn't quite sure where to find Khelvor, and didn't even know if he could. Khelvor still had two or three Grolims with him, and Silk knew he was practically powerless against someone who could use their Will. After a moment's consideration, he figured the best plan was to find the Angarak woman first.

She still confused him, and he wanted answers before the satisfaction of killing her. It seemed to him like she was just taking advantage of the situation to make money off of Khelvor and quench her thirst for the sight of men suffering. His mind refused to believe this, however.

He found himself before her house faster than he expected, and to his surprise and suspicion, the door was open. Drawing a dagger, he cautiously entered, eyes flicking from one corner of the room to another. It appeared to be deserted, but he knew better. He could sense someone's presence. This suspicion was confirmed when he heard someone move in the bedroom.

"Come in, Kheldar."

Silk hissed. How dare she invite him in? How dare she rob him of his revenge? Anger building in his throat again, he entered her room and glared at the Angarak who lay on the bed casually. "We meet again," she greeted him. She paused for him to speak and smiled cruelly when he didn't. "You see? I was right. You did play my little game."

He unstuck his throat. "_Your_ game?" He asked hoarsely. "It looked to me like Khelvor held all the aces."

"Perhaps he did," She replied indifferently. "But I can assure you he doesn't now."

"Zandramas found out?" Silk guessed.

"He won't live long. If you're intending to get revenge, I suggest you do it now." She said mildly.

"I want answers first," he said, his voice shaking slightly with anger.

She glanced at a clock on the bedside table. "You have about five minutes."

He scowled. "An important appointment?"

"I'm sure death wouldn't want me to miss it," she said, nodding.

He stared at her and then his eyes wandered to the bedside table, where an empty vial lay next to the clock. He suppressed a howl of frustration. "Suicide? Why?"

She smiled. "So you wouldn't have the satisfaction of killing me."

"I still might," He growled.

"What difference will it make?"

He clenched his teeth and turned away, pausing before her mirror. "I still have questions," he managed to hiss.

"I'm listening,"

"What part did you have in it?"

He heard her laugh behind him, and he turned back to her angrily. "What part did _I_ have in it?" She repeated. "I provided the players, and they acted it out for me."

"So you told him about me?" Silk asked, laying his dagger across her throat.

She looked up at him, bemused. "He knew about you long before I did. It was only through his sniveling that I learned of his grudge against you." She shrugged. "It amused me for the moment. Happiness is hard to find in life, and watching men and their pointless struggles amuses me."

"Happiness?" Silk asked incredulously. "I find it hard to be happy at the sight of another's suffering."

"Perhaps you do," she said, voice bland, almost blissful. "I seem to remember that you came here to kill me, right?"

He didn't answer, frustrated at her observations. Instead, he tried something else. "So what _did _you do? Just sit back and watch Khelvor go about his horrible business?"

She smiled. "You're quick. I suppose we are alike in some way. We always prefer to get other people to do our work for us."

"Our work?" Silk questioned.

"Oh yes, Khelvor told me all about your antics at the Academy… and everything he knew about Liselle's. It was quite sickening, but I suppose I am no different. I prodded him into his actions for my amusement, much like you did at the Academy." She told him.

"I didn't gain amusement!" He answered, angrily. "I did what I did because I had to in order to… finish my assignment."

She sighed. "And perhaps my assignment is to enjoy life before I decide to take it away from myself?"

Despite her provocative words, her calm composure was leeching his anger away. With great effort, he shook himself out of this mindset and pressed the dagger closer to her neck, careful to not break her skin. "We're off topic," he said, trying to imitate her calm. "Start from the beginning, what did you tell Khelvor?"

She looked him straight in the face. "Go ahead, kill me. I get what I want: death, and you get your revenge."

"I want my answers first."

"I told him all he needed to know," she replied.

"Explain."

"I'm sure someone else will do that for you eventually," she answered. "Let me die in peace."

"No, you didn't do so for me, so why should I return the favor? Answer my question." He ordered.

"You aren't dead," she pointed out.

"And what about Liselle?" He questioned. "What does she get in return for what you put us through?"

She laughed. "You. She gets you, and you get her. That's what you wanted, right? Khelvor was the only one who got less than he bargained for."

"What?"

"Khelvor was working for Zandramas. He was promised a future that you stole from him. Now he doesn't get that. He doesn't even get the satisfaction of seeing you dead. I get my death. You get Liselle, and she gets you. Khelvor doesn't get anything but the death he isn't ready to accept yet." She said, her voice growing faint.

Silk stared at her and lifted his knife away a new feeling blossoming in his mind. "What did you do, then? Was this all for your entertainment? Just to satisfy your sadistic longings?"

She smiled. "Yes." She replied. After a pause, she reached out and took his hand. "Do you feel sorry for me?"

He looked at her with wide eyes. Now that she asked, he did feel somewhat sorry for her. What could have happened to this lady to leave death as her only ambition? He suddenly realized how much pain Khelvor had caused. "Yes," he replied finally in a whisper.

Her smile did not fade. "Don't," she murmured back, her voice fading into a sigh of death.


	16. Chapter 16

**cowers again erm... yeah... sorry guys... I was on vacation and I ended up forgetting about this again... Anyways, one chappie left after this... hope you guys enjoyed it and sorry about how short this one is... I'll update quicker, I promise... but see, I promised myself I'd finish my hw today... so... yeah... i don't know what that has to do w/ anything... So... Yeah! Enjoy!**

**Chapter 16**

Finding Khelvor held no interest for him now, and he knew that even if he did, he would find only a corpse. Instead, he decided to go back to the inn. He was not fatigued, and his wound didn't feel in the least uncomfortable. No, right now, the only sensation was one of emotional numbness.

Khelvor had been used by the one he was using. The Nadrak woman, whose name he'd failed to discover, was not Khelvor's partner. She had been using him as a source of entertainment, and he'd been using her as a strange kind of bait. Now, Silk realized that the whole 'conspiracy' of bear-cultists and 'The Master' had been nothing but a disguise: something to get him involved in Khelvor's plot. As much as he refused to admit it, Khelvor _did_ know him very well. Their 'plot' was bound to catch his attention, and essentially, Khelvor had succeeded.

Silk felt manipulated, used by Khelvor and the Nadrak, but now his animosity was completely directed towards Khelvor. The Angarak lady, as she'd told him was only looking for a way of entertainment. Khelvor, however, had a lot to pay for, and Silk knew that it was too late for him to do the collecting. Zandramas will have beaten him to it.

"Silk!"

He turned at the sound of Sadi's voice to see him standing beside Liselle and a wolf he knew to be Belgarath. Before he could reply, there was a shriek and a falcon blurred into the angry form of Polgara as she landed right before him. "What could you _possibly_ be thinking?!" She demanded of him.

He didn't know what to reply with. Words seemed inappropriate of the moment for some reason. Instead, he let her deliver the scolding that he knew would come regardless of what he said. A blanket of numbness had settled over him, and even her penetrating voice couldn't lift it.

His eyes wandered from her face to where Belgarath and the others stood. Belgarath, still in the form of a wolf, wore an expression that Silk could not place, and Sadi's face was as emotionless as ever. Liselle, however, had tears in her eyes, and in their one shared glance, something passed between them that Silk knew needed no words, nor could words ever begin to describe it.


	17. Chapter 17

**Welll... here's the end... It kinda makes me sad to finally finish this, and I hope you'll all forgive me for my um... erratic timing... Thank you all for reading and reviewing! **

**Chapter 17**

Being back among the others felt good. Liselle rode alongside him, and words need not be exchanged, so they trotted along at a leisurely pace, sharing their thoughts in their silence. Belgarath and Beldin rode somewhere at the front, arguing about something with Polgara while Eriond rode with Garion and Ce'Nedra in front of Durnik, who was deep in conversation with Sadi as Toth rode silently, listening. It was refreshing, Silk decided. There was something comforting about the calm sanity of his companions.

"Kheldar?" Liselle asked softly.

It was the first exchange between them since the night before. Silk looked at her, smiling, but upon seeing her expression, he realized she was not suggesting conversation. Instead, she wordlessly pointed to his left. Unsure, he followed her gaze and saw the warehouse that he knew he'd remember for the rest of his life. However, it was not the warehouse itself that was remarkable, it was the trail of blood leading through the door.

The rest of their group had paused, and Belgarath was looking at him questioningly. Silk nodded. He knew what he would find inside, but he wanted the satisfaction of seeing it, for himself, and for the Nadrak dancer. "Liselle?" He questioned.

She shook her head. "No, you go."

Silk nodded and dismounted, along with Belgarath, Garion, Sadi and Durnik. Silk ignored the others and drew a dagger as a precaution as he followed the blood trail.

As he expected, he found Khelvor laid out, throat slit and an expression of terror on his face. On his chest was a piece of paper, which Belgarath picked up and handed to him wordlessly. Almost dreading what it would say, Silk looked down at it.

_And so my blunder is repaired_

_Zandramas_,

Silk handed it to Belgarath, not trusting himself to speak. A strange sadness had welled in his heart upon the sight of Khelvor's corpse. Despite all Khelvor had been responsible for, he was still a friend lost, and this wrenched at his heart, even as a feeling of satisfied anger countered it. The others were speaking, but Silk didn't hear what they were saying. It didn't seem to matter.

He looked back at Khelvor and knelt by his former friend, trying to control conflicting feelings within him. Tearing his eyes away from the man's wide eyes, Silk noticed another sheet of paper crumpled in Khelvor's hand. Shaking slightly, Silk reached forward and took it from the corpse's cold fingers and unfolded it carefully. Even after many years, Silk recognized Khelvor's tidy scrawl.

_Kheldar, I write this as an apology. I know that by the time you read this, I will be dead, for Zandramas, as I am told is slow to forgive. We were friends once, and now I regret the breaking of our friendship. Had I not been so eager for revenge, perhaps I would have escaped this fate, perhaps we could have been friends again. I am sorry for all the pain that I caused you and Liselle. I never intended to harm her at the Academy, but as you say, I was obsessed, and now I realize it was not love and never was, nor will it ever be, but I wish her to know, that in death, I am her friend. I don't expect you to forgive me, for I would never be able to had it been me, but I want you to know my true feelings now. _

_Before I end this, I must warn you. If I remember you correctly, you were quite apt, and therefore I assume that you knew of the Nadrak woman and her dealings with me. Perhaps you even made the same mistake as I. "Most men make the mistake of trusting me." I take it you will recognize these words. She told me after I was sworn to Zandramas that this is her greeting to every man she intends to manipulate. She could be open with me, for I was helplessly bound to her. Upon my oath to Zandramas, I also agreed to obey every order of the Nadrak woman. _

_I seem to remember you warning me about women and my weakness for them. It was upon this weakness that the Nadrak woman played, and upon my anger towards you and Liselle. Zandramas and this Angarak woman promised me a future I knew I'd never receive through Javelin and so I was blinded by their lies. The only consolation I have is that the Angarak woman will not escape death either. She awaits the same fate as me, whether by Zandramas' hand or her own. _

_Death makes us all think so clearly. If only I had this clarity of mind during the rest of my life. Farewell, Silk. I pray you do not meet your end as quickly as I met mine. _

_Your dying friend, _

_Khelvor_


End file.
